The Gospel 

In Its Native Land 

By ANNIE MACDONALD 



The Gospel In Its Native Land 



C<^rna s , Anna M a c~Ji c n a / oL , 

THE GOSPEL 

IN ITS NATIVE LAND 

By ANNIE MACDONALD 



And there shall be stability in thy times, abundance 
of Salvation, Wisdom and Knowledge 



ILLUSTRATED WITH ORIGINAL PHOTOS, 
SOME HAVING NEVER BEFORE BEEN 
TAKEN AND PUBLISHED 



PUBLISHED BY 

THE GOSPEL IN ITS NATIVE LAND 

410 TACOMA, BLDG. , CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. 



Copyright 1909 

BY 

Annie Macdonald 



©CLA251572 



Preface 



The gospel gives us the full picture of the earthly life 
of our Lord, and it is our duty to read it with a pure and 
sincere heart as well as a simple mind. 

In order to fully understand the complete simplicity 
of the gospel it is almost necessary to live, for a short 
time, in the land where it was spoken, and learn the 
manners and customs of the native people. The cities 
and villages, the plains and mountains, lakes and rivers — 
every corner still represents and illustrates the earthly 
life of our Lord and the words spoken by Him. For 
this reason thousands of people visit the Holy Land 
every year. Many books have been written to help 
those who cannot come. The majority of these contain 
valuable information. But the great majority lack that 
simplicity which is essential to the ready grasp of the 
average reader, and for the most part illustrations are 
omitted, these adding so much to the understanding of 
pen descriptions. 

With this in mind, I was prompted to write this little 
book, telling about the people and the land as briefly 
and simply as possible, and giving plentiful illustrations. 

There are many customs here which are unknown 
in America and other lands and about which very little 
is known. Take, for instance, the parable of the good 
shepherd. How many boys and girls have seen a shep- 
herd leading his sheep out to pasture? 



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On one occasion a minister in Ceylon was speaking 
to the natives, through an interpreter, on ' ' The Shepherd 
and His Sheep." At the close of the service he asked 
his interpreter if the people understood the parable. 
He answered, "I was obliged to change the word sheep 
into calves, because the people here have never seen a 
sheep." 

Customs and manners are the same here to-day as in our 
Lord's time. "The Unchanged East," is not a mere 
phrase. 

1 hope this little illustrated book will be interesting and 
helpful to many ; not only to Sunday School teachers, but 
to all who believe in the words of our Savior. 

Grateful acknowledgment is made of the pictures of 
the temples given me by Mrs. Schoenecke, and the flower 
paintings by her daughter ; also valuable help in the prep- 
aration of the subject matter, given me by Prof. C. Carn- 
apas, of Jerusalem, and friends both in America and 
Jerusalem. 

For the pictures of the Passover I am indebted to Prof. 
Lyon, of Harvard University, and for many of the others 
to Mr. Marshall of Chicago. Also to Ch. Raad of Jeru- 
salem, for the pictures of Joseph's Tomb and others. 

Annie Macdonald, 
Jerusalem, Palestine. 



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Table of Contents 



CHAPTER I 
The Birth of Our Lord. 
Native Village, Fellaheen and His Home — The New-Born 
Babe and How Cared For — Simplicity of Christ's Teaching. 

CHAPTER II 
Presentation in the Temple. 
Solomon's Temple — Jews' ' 'Wailing Place "-Herod's Temple — 
Money Changers — Destruction of Herod's Temple — 
Mosque of Omar. 

CHAPTER III 
The Flight Into Egypt. 
Mode of Travel — Mary's Lowly Life. 

CHAPTER IV 
The Jordon. 

Description of River Jordon — Jordon' s Sources — Greek Baptism 
— Jericho, Ancient and Modern — Mount of Temptation. 

CHAPTER V 
The Sea of Galilee. 
Galilee — Mending the Nets — The Tempest. 

CHAPTER VI 
The Sending Forth of the Disciples. 
Equipment for a Quick Journey — Reception on Entering a 
Village — Salutations . 

CHAPTER VII 
Palestine Weddings. 
Selection of Wife — Trousseau — Village Marriage Ceremony — 
The Wedding Garment — Midnight Wedding — Moslem 
Wedding — Wine at Weddings — The ' ' Six Water- 
Pots of Stone." 

CHAPTER VIII 
Jesus and the Woman of Samaria. 
The Village Aschar, Ancient Sychar — Jacob's Wells — Wells 
and Water Jars — The Village Well — Hatred Existing 
Between Jews and Samaritans. 



(id 



CHAPTER IX 
Feeding the Multitude. 
A Desert — Climate of Palestine — Bread and Ovens. 

CHAPTER X 
Healing the Sick. 
Cause of Many Diseases in Palestine — Hospitals — The Blind — 
Begging and Beggars — School for Blind — Pool of Siloam 
— The Leper — Fever. 

CHAPTER XI 
The Man Sick of the Palsy. 
Carrying the Sick — The Roof of a House — The Outside Stair- 
way — Observance of the Sabbath To-day. 

CHAPTER XII 
Burial Customs. 
Old Customs — The Winding Sheet — Photographer's Difficulties 
— Meaning of Word "Coffin" or "Bier" — Widow of Nain 
— Graves — Tombs of the Kings — Tombs of the Judges 
"Rolling Stones "-Mourners and Hired Mourners. 

CHAPTER XIII 
Eastern Hospitality. 
Martha — Moslem Ceremony of Washing — Care of Feet — Pre- 
parations for a Feast — Position while Eating — Service. 

CHAPTER XIV 
Salutations. 
Kissing — Greeting Between Parents and Son. 

CHAPTER XV 
A City Set on a Hill. 
Streets of a Village — Roofs — Candles. 

CHAPTER XVI 
The Guest Chamber. 
Furnishings — A Meal with a Fellaheen — Meals of the Day — 
Passover Feast. 

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i 



CHAPTER XVIT 
Garden of Gethsemane. 
Old Olive Trees— "Holy Thursday" Night. 

CHAPTER XVIII 
The Lost Coin. 
Dress of Fellaheen Women — Jewelry. 

CHAPTER XIX 
The Good Shepherd. 
Pastoral Life — Kinds of Sheep — Calling- the Sheep by Name — 
Robbers and Wolves — Slings — Weapons — Sheep Fold. 

CHAPTER XX 
The Parable of the Sower. 
Preparation of Soil — Destroying the Tares — Threshing Floors 
—The "Fan"— The Tax Collector— The Mill-stone and 
Its Use — Measuring the Wheat. 

CHAPTER XXI 
Vineyards and Fig Trees. 
Wine Press — Wine — Grapes of Eshcol — Dafour — Palms — 
The Sycamore. 

CHAPTER XXII 
Trees of Palestine 
Palms — Sycamore . 

CHAPTER XXIII 
Flowers 

Great Abundance — Beauty Contrasted with Robes of 
Jewish King. 

CHAPTER XXIV 
Jerusalem. 

The Old and New — History of Jerusalem — Inhabitants — The 
Wall — American Colony — Jews — Schools — "Ho, Ye 
Thirsty"— Streets— "Atals"— Styles of Dress 
Moslem Fanaticism. 

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Illustrations 



Author's Picture, by Ch. Raad. (Full page) 6 

Native Village 19 

Interior of Native House. "And she wrapped him in swad- 
dling clothes and laid him in the manger" 21 

The Manger. Church of the Nativity 22 

Bethlehem Woman With Her Little Baby Wrapped in Swad- 
dling Clothes - 24 

Native Woman Going to Market 25 

Solomon's Temple (B. C. 1,000) 27 

Solomon's Stables 30 

The Jews' Wailing Place — "Here sit we now lonely and weep" 31 

Herod's Temple (B. C. 40) n 33 

Money Changers' Table 35 

Haram Es Cherif. "The Mosque of Omar" 37 

The Tabernacle 41 

Camel Prepared to Cross the Desert 44 

Country Travelers 45 

Nazareth 47 

The River Jordan. A Small Island in the River Jordan 48 

The Source of the Jordan at the Foot of the Lebanon Moun- 
tains : 49 

Before the Blessing of the Waters 50 

Russian Pilgrims Dipping Themselves in the Jordan. After 

the Cross Has Been Dipped and the Waters Blessed 51 

Modern Jericho 52 

Ruins of Ancient Jericho-— The Mount of Temptation in the 

Back Ground 53 

Street in Ancient Jericho 54 

Plain of Jericho and Mount of Temptation 55 

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Greek Convent on the Mount of Temptation and Bedouin 

Travelers 56 

In the Boat Mending- Their Nets 58 

Sea of Galilee — Mending- Their Nets 59 

Tiberias 60 

Bedouins of the Desert. Warriors of the Tribe of Abraham 63 

Two Fellahs on a Journey 65 

A Typical Moslem Wedding Dance on the Mount of Olives.. 70 

Water Skins, Used for Carrying Water, Wine and Honey 73 

Stone Jar Representing the "Six water pots of stone" — . 

John 2:6 74 

Jacob's Well 77 

Well in Samaria 78 

Women Drawing- Water at Ekron Water wheel 79 

Women With Burdens 80 

The Virgin's Fountain at Nazareth 81 

The Village Well [ 82 

Mt. Gerizim. Camp of Samaritans on the Day of the Pass- 
over 83 

Levites About the Lambs and the Fire During Service 84 

Slaughterer Getting the Sheep into Position 85 

Boy Carrying Loaves , "There is a boy here which hath 

five loaves and two small fishes" — John 6:9 88 

Bake Oven at Nazareth 89 

Miss Elverson, A. C. M. S. Worker and her School of Beggars 91 

Blind Beggar Woman 92 

"A Man Born Blind" 93 

The Pool of Siloam 94 

Village of Siloam 95 

Lepers from the Village of Siloam 97 

One of the Sights Seen on the Streets of Jerusalem 98 

Groupe de Lepreux a Jerusalem 99 

Fellah Carrying His Bed 104 

Russian Funeral, the Body Borne by Four 107 

Tombs of the Judges 108 

Tomb of Joseph, in the Sacred Cave of Macheplah 109 



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Rolling Stone at "The Tombs of the Kings." 112 

Moslem Funeral and Graveyard 113 

Moslem Funeral, Women Mourners 114 

Sheik of a Village 117 

Bedouin Hospitality 119 

Water Jug Used at the Greek "Feet washing" ceremony. 121 

Fellah Washing Himself -.122 

Feet Washing Ceremony of the Greek Church — Patriarch 

Washing the Feet of 12 of his Subordinates 124 

Kissing the Hand .128 

"Salute No Man in the Way".— Luke 10:4 131 

"A City That is Set on a Hill Cannot be Hid."— Matt. 5:14. ..136 

Chamber of the Last Supper 140 

Very Old Olive Tree in the Garden of Gethsemane 143 

Valley of Jehosaphat 146 

Mount of Olives, (l) Galilee. (2) Russian Tower. (3) 
Latin Convent. (4) Hill of Offense. (5) Russian 
Church. (6) Garden of Gethsemane and Road to Beth- 
any. (7) Tomb of the Virgin 147 

Silver and Gold Coins 151 

Shepherd and Sheep .....154 

"Behold a Sower Went Forth to Sow" 160 

Wheat Fields Among Rocks 161 

Ruins of Samaria ...162 

Plowing and Sowing 163 

Threshing Floor in Palestine. — "Thou shalt not muzzle the 

ox that treadeth out the corn" 164 

' 'Whose Fan is in His Hand Thoroughly to Cleanse His 
Threshing Floor, and to Gather the Wheat into His 

Garner."— Luke 3:17 165 

"Two Women Shall Be Grinding at the Mill; One is Taken 

and One is Left."— Matt. 24:41 167 

Measuring Wheat in the Markets of Jerusalem ...168 

Grape Market... ...171 

Wine Press : 172 

Fig Tree .174 

Bethlehem's Gardens 175 

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Palm Sunday. Church of the Holy Sepulchre 177 

Sycamore Tree — Jericho 178 

The Golden Gate and Moslem Cemetery 182 

Street in Jerusalem . 183 

Jerusalem in Former Ages 184 

A Seller of Drinks.— "Ho ye thirsty" 189 

Porter 190 

Moslems Bearing- Sacred Flags to the Graves of Moses, on 

day called "Nebi Mussa" ..191 

Jaffa. Through the Rocks 193 



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The Birth of Our Lord 

CHAPTER I. 

THE BIKTH OF OUR LORD — NATIVE VILLAGE— FELLAHEEN AND 
HIS HOME — THE NEW-BORN BABE AND HOW CARED FOR — 
SIMPLICITY OF CHRIST *S TEACHING. 

And she brought forth her first born son and wrapped 
him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, be- 
cause there was no room for them in the inn.— Luke 2:7. 

Bethlehem is looked upon as one of the most sacred 
cities of the world. It was there our Savior and King 





NATIVE VILLAGE 

was born and above which the heavenly host sang praises 
to God on the night of His birth. It is about six miles 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

south of Jerusalem, on the way to Hebron. There are 
now about 10,000 people, Christians and Moslems, living 
there. 

In connection with the Lord's birth, it is most interest- 
ing to acquaint one's self with a native village and home 
and birth of a little babe in one of them. 

In Palestine there are no farm houses, as in America. 
The people live in villages and are called "fellaheen," 
that is, "farmers." No "fellah" would think of living 
on his piece of ground, because he would be in constant 
danger of being attacked by robbers. Many of the houses 
in these villages are no better than stables. In the pic- 
ture is seen a typical village of Palestine. Many such 
villages are to be seen throughout the Holy Land, and 
from the excavations which have been made of ancient 
Jericho it does not appear that any great improvement 
has been made since that time. The same kind of cooking 
utensils are used today which were used by the people of 
the plain, when the Israelites first entered the land, 
nearly 4,000 years ago. There are no streets and no 
shade trees. Trees are very scarce, for the simple reason 
that every tree, good or bad, was taxed, until freedom 
was granted. Many times the taxes would exceed the 
price of the fruit on the tree ; consequently the tree would 
be cut down in order to lighten the taxes. 

The houses in these villages are miserable, smoky 
places, as a rule. One room is all that is owned by a 
family. Now they are beginning to have two, one for 
the animals and to cook in, the other in which to eat and 
sleep ; but this is not the rule. 

From the picture of the interior of one of these houses 

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The Birth of Our Lord 

you can form some idea of the way in which a family 
lives. In the lower part yon see the stalls, for the cattle, 
and above, the part occupied by the people. This is mnch 
better than many seen. 

There are no chairs nor tables, no bedsteads and no 




INTERIOR OF A NATIVE HOUSE 
And she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger." 
Luke 2:7. 



bureaus. Occasionally a box is found in which clothes 
are kept, especially the wedding clothes, which are very 
carefully preserved. The box, although very cheap, is 
a luxury for these poor people. The place where they live 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

is usually two or three feet above the floor where the 
animals live. 

In many of these houses there are no windows, and 
it is a mystery how they exist, especially at night, when 
the door is closed tight and not a breath of fresh air 




THE MANGER— CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY 



enters nntil the morning. The people here are very 
much afraid of the night air.' Even many of the city 
people will not sleep in a room where there is an open 
window. 

These stalls are used for various purposes. During 



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The Birth of Our Lord 



the day, when the cattle are in the fields, or when they 
have no cattle, they are used as beds for the children, 
especially the babies. On account of the hollowness, such 
a manger is a very safe place for the "bairns." On one 
occasion some visitors entered one of these dwellings. 
When they were about to leave, they saw the mother 
prepare to go also, without her young baby. They asked 
her where she had left it, and learned that it was sleep- 
ing in one of the mangers, where they found it "wrapped 
in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger," just as 
the shepherds found the Savior when they went to 
Bethlehem. 

No doubt it was in just such a manger, or one similar 
to it, that Mary laid the Christ, for Luke says, "There 
was no place in the inn. ' ' 

Justinian, the philosopher and martyr, and also Origin, 
say that the place in which the Lord was born was a cave. 
During the early centuries of Christianity a church was 
built over the cave and called ' ' The Church of the Nativ- 
ity." When the wise men came from the East, Matthew 
states that it was a house to which they came. Whatever 
the place, a cave used as a house, or a house, it was prob- 
ably similar to many places found in the land today, 
where one room serves for a stable and a house, and it 
would not be a very extraordinary thing for a babe to be 
laid in a manger, after it had been washed and dressed. 
In fact, the straw would be much softer than the beds, 
which consist of a heavy quilt laid on the floor and one of 
the same weight for covering. 

We see from this that our Lord took His place among 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

the lowliest of His people. P. W. Farrar says: "The 
manger of cattle was a fitting birthplace for Him, who 
came to reveal that the spirit of the greatest monarch is 
no dearer or greater in G-od's sight than the spirit of His 
meanest slave; for Him who had not where to lay His 
head ; for Him who from His cross of shame was to rule 
the world." 

Our Lord having been born in such a place, was treated 




A BETHLEHEM WOMAN WITH HER LITTLE BABY WRAPPED 
IN SWADDLING CLOTHES 

in the same manner as babies which are born among 
natives of that country to-day. He was "wrapped in 
swaddling clothes." Here you see a mother holding a 
little baby wrapped in just such swaddling clothes. 
When a baby is born it is rubbed all over with salt, 



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The Birth of Our Lord 

salt water and oil. Its eyes and month are salted. 
Among some of the native Christians red earth is added 
to the salt and oil. The baby is then wrapped np so that 
it cannot move; the legs and arms are fastened as tight 
as it is possible for the child to bear. It is left wrapped 




A NATIVE WOMAN GOING TO MARKET 



in this way nntil the seventh day, when it is nnwrapped 
and washed again in fresh oil, salt and water and 
wrapped in fresh clothes. This is repeated every week 
by the nurse, nntil the child is forty days old, then she 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

washes it with warm water and soap, and from that 
time the mother assumes the responsibility of washing 
and dressing the child. When she goes to the fields or to 
market the baby is carried in a bag on her back and her 
basket on her head. You will also notice the shoes worn 
by these women and that they do not wear stockings. 

This custom of salting the babies at their birth is very 
old, and is mentioned by the prophet Ezekiel: ''Thou 
wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all." (Ezk. 16:4.) 
And while continents have been discovered and wonders 
wrought across the seas, this land still holds to its 
ancient customs. Dr. Thompson, in speaking of the Holy 
Land, says: "Manners, customs, men and things con- 
tinue very much as they were three thousand years 
ago. " So it is in almost everything referred to by Christ. 
He spoke about things with which the people were per- 
fectly familiar. Everything around afforded Him an op- 
portunity to illustrate His divine truths in a very simple 
manner. From nature and from the life of the people he 
drew His illustrations, so that it could truly be said "the 
common people heard him gladly." It was the simplicity 
of Christ's teaching which baffled the Pharisees and upsets 
the theologians of to-day. It was not the Doctor of Law 
who said, ' 6 Never man spake like this man. ' ' ( Jno. 7 :46. ) 



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SOLOMON S TEMPLE, B. C. 1000 



The Presentation in the Temple 

CHAPTER II. 

SOLOMON *S TEMPLE — " JEWS ' WAILING PLACE 9 9 — HEROD 's 
TEMPLE — MONEY CHANGERS — DESTRUCTION OF HEROD 's 
TEMPLE — MOSQUE OF OMAR. 

And when the day of her purification, according to the 
law of Moses, was accomplished, they brought him to 
Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. (Luke 2:22.) 

Among native Christians, when a baby is forty days 
old the mother takes the child and goes to some church 
in order to thank God. This is a continuance of the 
ancient Jewish custom, according to the law of Moses, 
in Exodus and Leviticus. According to this law Mary 
and Joseph "brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him 
to the Lord." Here are three pictures which represent 
models made by Dr. Schick. These models embody the 
work of about fifty years study of the locality on which 
the celebrated temples once stood. They are made of 
wood and consist of many pieces. The length is about 
nine feet, five and a half feet wide, and nearly twenty 
inches high. 

The first represents the magnificent temple built by 
Solomon. A great deal of preparation for the building 
of the temple was made by King David. "So David pre- 
pared abundantly before his death." (1 Chron. 22:5.) 
Read 2 Chron. 23 and 24, study the picture in connection 



(29) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 



with it, and a clearer idea of the grandeur of the temple 
will be gained. Seven years and six months were spent 
in building it. The ceremony of consecration was made 
amidst a gathering of many thousands of people. After 
many wars, the temple of Solomon was finally destroyed 
by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzer, B. C. 580. 




SOLOMON'S STABLES 

It is stated by several writers who have made a 
thorough study of the temple grounds that one cistern 
alone held 3,000,000 gallons of water. This was prob- 
ably for the use of priests in connection with all the 
sacrifices and ablutions of the temple service. Very 



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The Presentation in the Temple 



little, if any, remains of Solomon's temple; and what 
there may be is buried with rubbish one hundred feet 
deep in some parts. What is now called "Solomon's 
Stables" may be as old as Solomon's day, although it is 
quite improbable. Archaeologists are not agreed upon this 
point. At the Jews ' "Wailing Place ' ' the rock was found 




THE JEWS WAILING PEACE 
'Here sit we now lonely and weep.' 



to be 80 feet below the present surface. Some of the side 
pillars here go 20 feet down into the rubbish. Probably 
there was a gate near here which led up to the level of the 
temple courts. Four such entrances led from the west 
into the temple courts. On the south, two subterranean 
passages still remain, which led up an ascending tunnel 
into the Temple Area. 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

Every Friday evening a great many Jews gather at the 
" Wailing Place;" also before feast days. They kiss the 
wall and read and pray. The 79th psalm is the one most 
frequently heard: 

"0 G-od, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; 
Thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid 
Jerusalem on heaps." 

They think that prayers made at this wall are more 
efficacious. The prayers are made especially for the com- 
ing of the Messiah and the restoration of the temple. 

"For the palace that lies waste: for the temple that 
is destroyed: for the walls that are torn down: for the 
glory that is vanished: for the great stones that are 
burned to dust. ' ' After repeating this litany those pres- 
ent respond, "Here sit we now lonely and weep." 

Many write prayers on small pieces of paper and put 
them in the cracks of the wall, in hopes that some day one 
may reach some sacred place within and that then God 
will hear their prayers and speedily send their Messiah. 
They are not allowed within the temple enclosure and re- 
frain from entering for fear of treading upon the "Holy 
Place." 

All Jews are foreigners. For many centuries after the 
destruction of Jerusalem no Jew was allowed to live with- 
in the Holy City. They came here formerly to die and be 
buried on the western side of the Mount of Olives. But 
it is quite evident now that they come here to live, as 
every available dwelling and spot of earth is being bought 
by them. 

Many years after Solomon, Herod's Temple was built. 



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HEROD'S TEMPLE — B. C. 40 



The Presentation in the Temple 



Herod, in order to gain the favor of the Jews, offered to 
restore the Temple of Solomon in place of the one which 
had been built by those who returned from Babylon 
under Zerubabel, by order of Cyrus, King of Persia. 
Herod well knew that such a work would please and win 
his Jewish subjects. He was not allowed to tear down 




MONEY CHANGER'S TABLE 



any part of the buildings that were standing, until all the 
materials for the new edifice had been collected. Two 
years were occupied in these preparations. He began to 
rebuild it 17 years before Christ was born. According 
to Jewish historians it surpassed Solomon's in magnifi- 
cence and ornamentation. It was built of white sculp- 



(35) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 

tured marble. Herod provided a court for the Gentiles 
and many other apartments for the priests, men and 
women. 

It was to this temple that Mary brought Jesus to ' i pre- 
sent Him to the Lord," and to which they came every 
year to keep the Passover. Here also Jesus came at the 
age of twelve and tarried in the temple, 4 'sitting in the 
midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them 
questions." 

Jesus honored the temple and came to it at the begin- 
ning and close of His ministry and tried to make it what 
it ought to have been, "a house of prayer for all the na- 
tions." (Mark 11:17.) The priests had permitted it to 
become a place in which to gather money from those who 
came up year after year to offer sacrifice to God. 

Many such customs are still practiced in Jerusalem. 
It seems to be a favorite place for people of every nation 
to visit year after year. Consequently there is a great 
need for money changers. Because of the many thou- 
sands who came to the temple to worship, it afforded the 
men engaged in such business a favorable opportunity to 
ply their trade within the sacred enclosure, disregarding 
utterly the sacredness of the house of God. When Jesus 
visited it His wrath was kindled against such mercen- 
aries. He did not wait to make any explanation but made 
a whip and drove them out. 

No doubt the Jews were very proud of this magnificent 
building and as Jesus and His disciples went out from 
the temple His attention was called to the stones and 
buildings and the adornment with precious stones and 



(36) 




HA RAM ES CHERIF— "THE MOSQUE OE OMAR" 



The Presentation in the Temple 



gifts. He then told them of the utter destruction of the 
temple, that not one stone was to be left upon another. As 
they ascended the Mount of Olives and looked back from 
time to time, the view must have been very impressive 
and so perhaps the doom pronounced upon it, which Jesus 
had just uttered, was still uppermost in their minds. 
When they sat down: they at once asked, "Tell us when 
shall these things be?" (Matt. 24:3.) Every word 
spoken by Jesus concerning it was literally fulfilled. The 
City was besieged by Titus in 70 A. D., six years after the 
temple was completed. Of the temple not one stone was 
left upon another. Not a stone which is seen in the 
present temple enclosure belongs to the Temple of Her old. 

Several attempts were made to rebuild the temple and 
make it a Jewish center, but without success. In 362 A. 
D., Julian, the Eoman Emperor, out of hatred to the 
Christians undertook the work of rebuilding the temple, 
but was defeated in his plans by earthquakes and sub- 
terranean fires. Ammians Marcellinus, a friend and com- 
panion of the Emperor, himself a heathen, says; "Hor- 
rible balls of fire breaking out, near the foundations, 
wj'.th frequent reiterated attacks rendered the place from 
time to time inaccessible to the scorched and blasted 
workmen ; and the victorious elements continuing in this, 
obstinately and resolutely bent as it were to drive them 
to a distance, the undertaking was abandoned." In 529, 
the Emperor Justinianus founded a church upon the site 
where is now the Mosque el Aska. Eemnants of this 
church still remain and are pointed out to the pilgrims 
who visit the mosque. 



(39) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 

Since 1517 A. D., the city has been held by the Moslems. 
Above the rock they have built a mosque which is called 
" The Mosque of Omar." 

The Mohammedans consider this rock one of the holi- 
est places in the world, because from it Mohammed is 
said to have ascended into heaven. Many strange and 
ridiculous stories are told by the guides to travellers 
visiting the mosque. Formerly only Moslems were ai« 
lowed to enter the temple enclosure. Within the last few 
years a little " bakshish" would open the door. It was 
necessary for visitors to be accompanied by a soldier and 
a "Kawass" from their Consulate. The new constitution 
may remove many of these restrictions. 




(40) 



The Flight Into Egypt 



CHAPTER in. 

THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT — MODE OF TRAVEL— MARY 's LOWLY 

LIFE. 

Arise and take the young child and his mother, and 
flee into Egypt. Matt. 2:13. 

For some unknown reason, whenever the flight into 
Egypt is pictured it represents Joseph leading a donkey 
and Mary riding, holding the child. As everyone who 
has travelled by land from Egypt to Palestine knows 
there are wide, sandy deserts to be crossed and it would 
have been extremely dangerous and difficult for Joseph 
and Mary to have travelled alone in this way. The 
most natural and usual mode of travelling over the des- 
erts to-day, as in ancient times, is by means of the camel. 
The camel can go without water longer than any other 
beast of burden. It can carry a much heavier load than 
either the donkey or the horse. Dr. Geikie thinks it pos- 
sible that they rode on an ass but that they were in 
company with others, on camels. Much provision and 
water would be necessary for the journey and one donkey 
would hardly be sufficient for all. Sometimes horses are 
used but as Joseph and Mary were in a hurry, no doubt 
they took the safest and quickest way of reaching Egypt 
Caravans of camels were frequently passing through 
Palestine en route from Damascus to Egypt. The road 
led past Bethlehem or near to it. It was very natural to 



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The Gospel in 



Its Native Land 



leave in the night, as these caravans leave at two or 
three o'clock in the morning in order to rest during the 
extreme heat of the day or to meet other caravans at some 
appointed place for the sake of safety. To this day it is 
very dangerous to cross the deserts unless well protected. 
Until seven years ago, no European would go even as 
far as Petra. Sometimes there may be seen a family of 




CAMEL PREPARED TO CROSS THE DESERT 

four riding on the back of one camel. There is a special 
saddle or seat, which is fastened very securely on the 
camel's back. It resembles a small, curtained room and 
when necessary the riders can protect themselves from 
the sun and rain, or if on the desert, from the sand which 



(44) 



I 



The Flight Into Egypt 

is blown by the wind. When necessary to mount or dis- 
mount the camel kneels and there is no need of a small 
ladder, as some have supposed. When J oseph and Mary 
went to Nazareth on their return, they may have gone di- 
rectly there with the same caravan, as the road to Damas- 
cus passed very close to Nazareth, or they may have trav- 
elled through Palestine in the ordinary way, this being 




COUNTRY TRAVELERS 



for Mary to walk and carry the child, while Joseph 
walked ahead leading the donkey. This was the only 
means of travel for the poor in those days, as at present. 
The use of European carriages and coaches is increasing 
rapidly and it is now possible to go from Jerusalem to 
Nablus, Jericho and Hebron by carriage. 

Thus the one who was given the highest mission ever 

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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

accorded to woman lived as the poorest, walking over 
the hard, stony roadways in her bare feet, carrying water 
from the village well, grinding the meal for the family 
and doing the work which fell to a woman in her lowly 
position of life ; but because of her purity and simplicity 
God exalted her to be the Blessed Mother of Our Lord. 




(46) 



The Jordan 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE JORDAN"— BAPTISM AND TEMPTATION OF CHRIST— DESCRIP- 
TION" or river jordan— Jordan's sources— greek baptism 

— JERICHO, ANCIENT AND MODERN— MOUNT OF TEMPTATION. 

J esus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized 
of John in the Jordan. Mark 1 :9. 

Thirty years of Jesus ' life was spent in Nazareth. The 
time came He must begin His active ministry and go to 




NAZARETH 

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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



"the lost sheep of the house of Israel." In preparation 
for this work He left His home in Galilee and went to 
the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 

The river Jordan is not, as many suppose, a winter 
torrent; true, it is larger during the winter rains, but 
it is also quite large during the dry season, and to say, 




A SMALL ISLAND IX THE RIVER JORDAN 



according to some critics, that there was not enough water 
in Jordan in which to be immersed, is very ridiculous. 
Like all other rivers there are some places deeper than 
others. Some places it is from 30 to 40 feet wide and from 
6 to 14 feet deep. Every day about 6,000,000 tons of 



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The Jordan 



water is said to flow through it into the Dead Sea. In 
some places the banks are regular and even and in others 
very steep and rocky and covered with many different 
trees. 

The Jordan has three sources: Hasbany on Hermon, 
the Leddlan, rising in Tell el-Kadi at ancient Dan, and 
Banias near Caesarea Philippi. It flows into lake Merom 




THE SOURCE OF THE JORDAN AT THE FOOT OF THE 
LEBANON MOUNTAINS 



and Galilee, from Galilee into the Dead Sea. The direct 
length is about 134 miles, though by its winding the 
channel is 200 miles long. In its progress it falls over 
3,000 feet, an average of 22 feet to the mile. 

A few years ago a Jewish company wished to make use 
of its waters to irrigate the plain but because of the rever- 
ence which the Christians of the world have for the river. 



(49) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 

they were not permitted to disturb the peaceful flow of 
its waters. Many barrels of filtered water have been 
shipped to America to be used in baptism and thousands 
of Eussian pilgrims and others come to the river itself 
to be immersed. 




BEFORE THE BLESSING OF THE WATERS 



This Greek ceremony takes place at Epiphany, twelve 
days after their Christmas, on the spot where Jesus 
is supposed to have been baptized. Perhaps the people 
came in just such numbers to John, for there "went out 
unto him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region 



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The Jordan 



around about Jordan; and they were baptized of him in 
the river Jordan. ' ' ( Matt. 3 :5. ) 

After our Lord was baptized He was led by the Spirit 
into the wilderness. In order to reach the wilderness of 
Judea He must cross the plain of the Jordan, which is 




THE RUSSIAN PILGRIMS DIPPING THEMSELVES IN THE JORDAN 
AFTER THE CROSS HAS BEEN DIPPED AND THE WATERS BLESSED 

fourteen miles wide at this place. This plain is very 
fertile when fresh water can be obtained for irrigation. 
At Jericho* it resembles the prairies of the west. Much 
of the cultivation of it is done by the monks of the Greek 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



church who have several convents built on it, and also one 
on the Mount of Temptation. 

The temperature at Jericho is much higher because the 
plain lies many hundreds of feet below the level of the 
Mediterranean Sea. The mountains on each side rise above 




MODERN JERICHO 



it about 4,000 feet. The grain here ripens much earlier 
than in other parts of Palestine. Jericho of to-day is lit- 
tle more than a collection of mud huts. There are a few 
hotels for the accomodation of travellers, but no other 
dwellings of any importance. There are a few very good 



(52) 



The Jordan 



gardens where almost anything can be grown. The 
oranges and grapes from Jericho are considered among 
the best. 

Jericho was famous in ancient times as the City of 
Palms, and no doubt the plain was much more luxuriant 




RUINS OF ANCIENT JERICHO 
THE MT. OF TEMPTATION IN THE BACKGROUND 



and beautiful 2,000 years ago. There Herod built for 
himself a beautiful palace and it was there he spent a 
great deal of his time. It was there, also, he caused many 
of his enemies to lose their lives. The ruins of ancient 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



Jericho lie about a mile or more from modern Jericho, 
near Elisha's fountain. Mnch excavation work has been 
done by archaeologists, ancient Jericho is gradually be- 
ing uncovered, and valuable information obtained. For 
some distance north of Jericho the soil is salty and un- 
fit for cultivation. 




STREET IX ANCIENT JERICHO 



The ground is covered with stones of various sizes, 
convenient hiding places for the many snakes seen crawl- 
ing about. When John the Baptist called the Pharisees 
a "generation of vipers" no doubt he was familiar with 



(54) 



The Jordan 

all this, for he adds: "God is able of these stones to 
raise up children unto Abraham. ' ' Much of John 's time 
had been spent in this district. Across this desert our 
Savior was led after His baptism, where He was tempted 
by the devil, although tradition puts the place of tempta- 




PLAIS OF JERICHO A\D MOUNT TEMPT1TION 



tion on a high mountain back of ancient Jericho. The 
Greek convent is seen in the pictures of the excavations of 
ancient Jericho. 

From this convent a splendid view of the Jordan, the 
Dead Sea, and the mountains of Moab is obtained. Long 



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T^h e Gospel in Its Native Land 

ago Greek and Abyssinian monks came here and passed 
their lives in the caves and hollows of the mountains. 
They thought that in this way they followed our Lord, 
who, though He was tempted by the devil, gained the vic- 
tory in each temptation. Dean Farrar, in speaking of our 




GREEK CONVENT ON MOUNT TEMPTATION 
AND BEDOUIN TRAVELERS 



Lord's temptation, says: "The wilderness of Jericho 
and the garden of Gethsemane witnessed His two most 
grievous struggles and in these He triumphed wholly over 
the worst and most awful assaults of the enemy of souls.' ' 

(56) 



I 



The Sea of Galilee 



CHAPTER V. 

THE SEA OF GALILEE — MENDING THE NETS — THE TEMPEST. 

And walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brethren 
casting a net into the sea. Matt. 4 :18. 

After the Temptation, our Lord went into Galilee to 
begin His work. The province of Galilee was noted for 
its beauty and fertility. J osephus has much to say about 
its richness. 

Our Lord had a peculiar preference for this land. It 
was His home for many years and it was by the shores 
of "blue Galilee" so many mighty miracles were wrought 
and where so many heard Him speak ' ' the word of life ' ' 
and from whence He called many of His apostles. In His 
time, the Sea of Galilee was noted for its loveliness and 
the numerous commercial towns and villages which were 
built on its shores. At that time fishing was the chief oc- 
cupation. Now all is changed. Instead of verdure 
.crowned hills and the noise of busy workers, the country 
is bare and a lonely silence is felt everywhere. Much of 
the original beauty is still to be seen in the lofty moun- 
tains which surround it. The very name ' ■ Galilee ' ' brings 
to the mind of every Christian many incidents in con- 
nection with Jesus' ministry. 

"How pleasant to me thy deep, blue wave, 

Sea of Galilee; 
For the glorious One Who came to save 

Hath often stood by thee." 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

This sea is about 14 miles long and 9 broad. Tt is 
680 feet below the level of the Mediterranean Sea. On 
the eastern shore the mountains are steep and rocky 
and about 2.000 feet high. This was the country of the 
Gergesenes where the herd of swine ran violently down 
a steep place into the sea, 

Although numerous mineral springs flow into the sea 




IN THE BOAT MENDING THEIR NETS 

its waters are sweet and transparent and many varieties 
of fish are to be found tbere. 

The climate is almost tropical. In summer the heat is 
intense but in winter it is quite pleasant. From the tops 
of the mountains violent winds often blow which greatly 
disturb the surface of the waters. A gentleman, while 
rowing on the sea one beautiful day, suddenly found 



(58) 



The Sea of Galilee 



himself in the midst of a tempest and it was with great 
difficulty he reached the shore. In the midst of his danger 
he cried to the Lord for help. Afterwards the thought 
vividly came to him of the apostles when in their despair 
they came to the Master and awoke Him, saying, ' i Master, 
Master, we perish !" These storms, though sudden, do not 
continue long and for the most part the sea is calm. 

Many things still remind us of the days of the apostles. 
These pictures very well represent Peter and Andrew, 




SEA OF GAEIEEE — MENDING THEIR NETS 



busy at work, before they were called to be apostles, and 
after the resurrection of Christ when He came to them 
and said, "Cast the net on the right side of the ship 
and ye shall find." At that time some hundreds of 
boats were to be found there; but to-day not more than 
a dozen are to be seen. On account of the railway which 
has been built between Haifa and Tiberias the number of 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



fishing boats has increased. The boats are broad, with 
a very shallow keel. They are capable of accommodating 
from a dozen to twenty persons. In the stern is a sort of 
a cabin where two or three men can lie down to sleep. 
In all probability it was in this cabin where our Lord 
was sleeping, safe from the waves which were breaking 
over the vessel, when He was awakened by His terrified 







• 







TIBERIAS 



apostles. When it is necessary the boats are propelled 
by oars, but whenever the wind is favorable the sails are 
hoisted. Such were the boats used by Peter and the 
others. 

As the boats are the same to-day as 2,000 years ago, 
so is the work of the fishermen. Looking at the pictures, 
one can imagine the two sons of Zebedee ' 1 in the ship with 



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The Sea of Galilee 



their father mending their nets. ' ' The net is very large 
and more than one fisherman is required to handle it. 
With such a net, most likely, Simon and the others were 
fishing on the night in which ' ' they caught nothing, ' ' but 
at the word of Jesus they let down the net and ' 1 enclosed 
a great multitude of fishes, so that the net brake. ' ' When 
such a net is used the fishing is done principally at night. 
Usually two boats are necessary, one to carry a light to 
attract the fish and to give aid when necessary to those 
who have the net. 

While engaged in this work it is natural that the fisher- 
man should wear suitable garments. The outer cloak is 
left off and only the inner garments worn. Sometimes 
these are very short and but little covers their shoulders 
and arms during the heat of the summer. On account of 
the absence of wharves it is also necessary for the fisher- 
men to wade to the shore when bringing in the fish they 
have caught. The outer cloak which Peter "girt unto 
him" is large and clumsy and very awkward for a work- 
ing man. The shore at Tiberias and in many places on 
the western side is level. People who live by the Sea of 
Galilee are quite accustomed to seeing the fishermen 
come to the shore in the morning and make a small fire 
in order to cook some fish for their breakfast. The bread 
they carry with them; no plates, knives or forks being 
necessary. 



(61) 



The Sending Forth of the Disciples 

CHAPTER VI. 

THE SENDING FORTH OF THE DISCIPLES— EQUIPMENT FOR A 
QUICK JOURNEY— RECEPTION ON ENTERING A VILLAGE — 
SALUTATIONS. 

These twelve Jesus sent forth, and charged them, say- 
ing: Matt. 10:5. 

When our Lord called His apostles on the shores of 
Galilee He said, i ' Come ye after me, and I will make you 
fishers of men." Before He sent them out He gave them 
instructions, which are much better understood after 
knowing something of the present customs of the land. 
He told them to carry neither gold, silver nor brass in 
their purses: in fact, they were to provide nothing for 
their journey, neither scrip nor two coats, shoes, nor yet 
staves: and, "salute no man on the way." (Luke 10:4.) 

As a rule, the peasantry in this country walk when 
going from one village to another, or when bringing their 
market goods into town. Very few of the people have 
seen a railway. In 1893 a railroad was built between 
Jaffa and Jerusalem, the first railway in Palestine. The 
government is proposing to build another from Haifa to 
Jerusalem, as the coast at Haifa is not so dangerous as 
the one at Jaffa. For the natives, railways are unnec- 
essary. They travel on foot. Those who can afford it, 
own camels or donkeys, but these usually carry the load 
and the owners walk, although sometimes the poor beasts 



(62) 



The Sending Forth of the Disciples 



carry both. The fellaheen women walk eight and nine 
miles with their heavy baskets balanced on their heads. 
Women carry burdens on their heads which require the 
strength of two people to lift. When a man wishes to 




BEDOUINS OF THE DESERT 
WARRIORS OF THE TRIBE OF ABRAHAM 

travel with his family a donkey is taken to carry the 
provisions, while the women and children walk. They do 
not wear shoes, as a rule, but walk over the rough, stony 
roads in their bare feet. Shoes are considered by some an 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

unnecessary luxury, as they can walk much more freely 
and quickly without them. Sometimes the fellaheen 
women carry their shoes in their baskets until they 
reach the city or village to which they are going. Stock- 
ings are not worn, even in the coldest weather. Their 
shoes are of the coarsest of leather made from ram skins 
dyed red. No thought is given as to whether they fit or 
not. Usually the back is crushed down under the heel, 
and it is quite an art to keep them on. They can be 
slipped on and off easily, as see in the illustration of a 
native woman going to market. 

The disciples were commanded to go out as their 
Master was accustomed to going, without any of these un- 
necessary things, which would retard them on their 
mission. 

The inner garment worn by the village people of to- 
day is very suitable for carrying provisions. According 
to some authorities this is the same as in the time of 
Abraham. It is long and loose, either white or blue, open 
nearly to the waist, and girded very tightly around the 
loins by a broad leather belt, or girdle, made of silk, wool 
or cotton. In the absence of pockets this girdle is used as 
a place in which to carry money. According to the Greek 
(see r. v.) the word translated purse really refers to this 
girdle. From this girdle a knife or a sword is hung, and 
which Peter used when he "struck the high priest's ser- 
vant, and cut off his right ear." (John 18 :10.) Over this 
inner garment is worn an outer one made of very coarse 
material, striped goat's or camel's -hair sack cloth. This 
is made without sleeves and is used both as bed and cov- 



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The Sending Forth of the Disciples 

ering when sleeping out of doors. The "Abeyah" of 
John the Baptist was made of camel's hair, but the gar- 
ment worn by Christ was without seam, woven from the 
top. To carry two such cloaks would be very burden- 
some, so our Lord commands them not to provide two 
cloaks. (Matt. 10:10.) 




TWO FELLAHS ON A JOURNEY 



Here is seen two fellahs on a journey. They are pro- 
vided with shoes and cloak, a scrip on their backs, and a 
staff (which you cannot see) in their hands. In this 
scrip they carry the provision for the way, in this case 
the bosom of the inner garment not being large enough. 
This scrip is made of leather, either of a goat's or a 
sheep's skin. It is hung from the shoulders by two straps, 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

and bread, cheese, olives and onions are put in. Their 
meals are very simple and no cooked food is necessary. 

When they are on a journey if they do not happen to be 
near a village, they search for a cave in which to sleep. 
If no cave is to be found, they do as Jacob did, sleep in the 
open air, with a stone for a pillow and their abeyah for 
bed and bedding. 

On entering a village they ask for the guest chamber. 
The man who has charge of it guides them to it and pro- 
vides food for them and their animals if they have any. 
When the villagers learn of their guests they come in to 
greet them and invite them to dine with them. The Sheik 
of the village sometimes kills a sheep in their honor. It 
often happens that they are invited by several people of 
the village to have a meal with them and stay there all 
night. In order to avoid offending and causing a quarrel 
between those inviting them they must go from house to 
house and thus lose a great deal of time in idle talk. For 
this reason Jesus commanded them to "go not from house 
to house." In "The Teachings of the Apostles" it says, 
"You must receive every messenger coming to you as if 
he were the Lord. He must stay only one day, or the next, 
if necessary, but never three days ; if he does he is a false 
prophet. ' ' 

Not only were they to avoid any burden and much 
visiting, but, "Salute no man by the way." When two 
men meet on the way, if riding they must get off their 
donkeys in order to salute one another. The first man 
who gets off bows to the ground and the younger kisses 



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The Sending Forth of the Disciples 

the hand of the elder. Then the following dialogue takes 
place : 

Salamie-Atulah. 

S. 4 4 Peace be unto you." 

A. 4 4 And on you be peace." 

S. "How are you?" 

A. 4 4 Praise God, I am well," or, 4 4 God give you 
peace. ' ' 

S. 4 4 How are your children?" 

A. 4 4 They are well. God give you health. ' ' 

S. 4 4 How is your wife?" 

A. 4 4 Well. God bless your house." 

This is repeated twice before any conversation takes 
place. Then they must tell each other all their personal 
affairs and those of their friends likewise. Before part- 
ing a long farewell salutation takes place. Therefore it 
was no wonder our Savior forbade them to salute any by 
the way. They were on the King's business, which 
required haste. 




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Palestine Weddings 



CHAPTEE VII. 

PALESTINE WEDDINGS— SELECTION OF WIFE — TROUSSEAU — 
VILLAGE MARRIAGE CEREMONY — THE WEDDING GARMENT — 
MIDNIGHT WEDDING— MOSLEM WEDDING— WINE AT WED- 
DINGS—THE " SIX WATER-POTS OF STONE. " 

And at midnight there is a cry, Behold, the bridegroom ! 
Matt. 25 :6. 

Our Lord's first miracle was at the marriage in Cana 
of Galilee. In order to illustrate this we will speak of 
it in connection with other parables relating to weddings. 
Jewish archaeologists assure us that the marriage cus- 
toms of to-day are the same in many cases as in ancient 
times. To the people of America many of these customs 
are unknown, especially the midnight weddings. 

For the most part the people of the Orient marry very 
early in life, and among their own relatives, who gen- 
erally live in the same village. In many cases a girl can- 
not marry until her cousin gives his consent and says that 
he does not wish to marry her. On this subject a girl 
has not a word to say, her opinion is not asked. Accord- 
ing to the Moslem religion it is a great evil for either 
one to see the other before they are married. 

Among the city people the father selects the wife when 
he thinks it is time for his son to be married. No son 
would ever think of disobeying his father in this matter. 
In the villages the young man through his mother makes 

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Palestine Wedding's 

known to his father the girl he wishes to marry. If the 
father agrees with his son he takes him to the chief men 
of the village, who accompany them to the father of the 
girl. After coffee is served they make known their 
errand. If the girl's father consents he tells them, "Be- 
seer Murchababkum ; " i. e. "it can be, and you are wel- 
come. ' ' The father then names the sum of money which 
must i>e given for his daughter, for here the husband 
always buys his wife. As to the amount, much depends 
upon the beauty of the bride. A great deal more money 
or its equivalent in cattle or lands must be paid for a 
beautiful bride. A young man generally pays from $100 
to $400 for his bride. 

There is no written contract; it is all done orally. As 
soon as the amount is settled the bridegroom's father 
must at that moment give $40 or $50 to the girl's father 
as "arrabone" to bind the agreement. The remainder 
must be given the day before the wedding takes place, 
otherwise it could not be. From a part of this money the 
girl's father buys her wedding clothes and household 
furniture. These are two pairs of silver bracelets, six 
silver rings, one silver chain with a gold coin in the middle 
which is worn on the neck, also a chain of gold or silver 
coins to be worn either on the headdress or the chest, and a 
wooden box for the wedding garments. For the house, 
two couches, three coverlets and four pillows. Whatever 
is left belongs to the father. The bridegroom generally 
retains about $20 to pay for her funeral expenses or to 
leave to her should he die. 

When the wedding garments are bought, the entire 



(69) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 

village is interested and a regular festival takes place, 
with dances and songs. 

The day before the wedding four or five sheep are 




A TYPICAL MOSLEM WEDDING DANCE OX THE MT. OF OLTVES 



killed and cooked in large tangeras. All the preparations 
must be done at the home of the bridegroom. 

On the wedding day, two hours before sunset, the young 



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Palestine Weddings 

men of the village and his relatives assemble at his house 
and dress him in his wedding clothes. He is then taken 
to the village square and put on a horse, where he enter- 
tains the entire village by performing many equestrian 
feats. After an hour he invites all those present to the 
wedding, saying, "Come, for all things are now ready." 
Of course they have all been invited some days before. 

When a Sheik (an elderly man who is head of the vil- 
lage) has such a feast he sends out his servants to invite 
the guests. Matt. 22:3. To refuse this invitation is a 
very grievous insult. Among the Bedouins east of the 
Jordan it is often a cause of war between the tribes, the 
chief of the tribe sending out his men and totally de- 
stroying, if possible, the offending tribe. 

Sometimes, when a very rich man either in a city or a 
vllage makes a marriage feast he invites not only his 
friends and neighbors, but also the very poorest persons 
in the village. At such a wedding the guests must wear 
what is called "the wedding garment"— an outer cloak 
which is put over their own clothes. For those who are 
too poor to afford such a garment the host provides one. 
As the guests pass the threshold a cloak is given to those 
who have none, so that all poor, ragged clothes are hid- 
den and the guests are acceptable and pleasing in the 
eyes of the bride and bridegroom. This is done at Jewish 
weddings. Mr. Tristrim says that at a Jewish wedding 
in Hebron he saw this done. 

In Jerusalem, among the Moslems and native Chris- 
tians, the wedding very often takes place at midnight, 
or later. One is often awakened at that hour by such 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

processions. One night I saw a very pretty Christian 
wedding procession. The bride was dressed in white silk, 
her face veiled, and the women accompanying her were 
singing and giving a joyful cry as they moved slowly 
along. When they met the bridegroom they cried, "Be- 
hold the bridegroom!'' Usually lighted candles or lamps 
are carried because the streets here are not lighted. 

In Bamallah, a village north of Jerusalem, it is the 
custom for the mother of the bride to stand behind the 
bridegroom sewing his coat throughout the entire cere- 
mony. The needle has no thread in it. 

A Moslem wedding in the city is a little different. 
About six o'clock in the evening the women guests begin 
to assemble at the bride's home. They at once begin 
shouting and pouring rose water upon all within reach. 
The guests are taken to the room of the bride, where she 
is seated on the floor, her eyes fast closed. A rusty sword 
hangs over her head, a sign of victory and obedience. 
After three hours she is dressed and the women dance be- 
fore her. When the bride is ready, the bridegroom, 
who is now at the door, enters and the guests all cry, 
"Behold the bridegroom!" As soon as he is seated, the 
bride rises and begins to walk towards him. It takes 
her one hour to walk twenty feet. When she is half way 
down the hall, the bridegroom rises and goes to her and 
takes the veil from her face. It is then he sees her for 
the first time. The bride does not open her eyes until she 
is seated by the side of the bridegroom. 

After this, the bridegroom says to his guests, "Ma sa 
lemi," i. e. "go in peace." The bridal procession then 



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Palestine Weddings 

moves on to the bridegroom's house. In the villages, 
after the bride has arrived at the bridegroom's house, 
they call him from the village square, where he has been 




WATER SKINS USED FOR CARRYING WATER, WINE AND HONEY 

waiting and receiving his gifts. As he is about to enter 
they cry, "Behold the bridegroom!" Sometimes the 
dancing and rejoicing continue for a week. Among 



(73) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 

native Christians very often they do not see each other 
until the ceremony, and even if so, a bride must keep her 
eyes closed until the ceremony is over. 

Moslems do not use wine at wedding feasts. It is used 
only by Christians and Jews. Just as at the marriage in 




STONE JAB REPRESENTING THE 'SIX WATER POTS OF STONE" 

Cana, the wine is put in bottles, or more correctly skins. 
The Greek word dcr/cds refers to the skins shown in the 
illustration. The revised version also has noted this. And 
no man putteth new wine into old wine skins, else the new 
wine will burst the skins and itself be spilled, and the 
skins will perish, but new wine must be put into fresh wine 



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Palestine Wedding's 

skins." These skins are used for carrying water as well 
as wine and sometimes for honey, etc. 

It is also the custom at the wedding feast to have one 
of the relatives of the bridegroom take charge and over- 
see everything and whatever is lacking he quickly pro- 
vides. This man is called the "steward" of the feast. 

When the supply of wine failed at the marriage in Cana 
the servants, unknown to the steward, (see r. v.) made it 
known to the mother of Jesus. After Jesus had turned 
the water into wine he told them to take it to the steward, 
who was no doubt much perplexed about the failure of 
the wine. Upon tasting it he was surprised to find that 
it was much superior to what he had already given to the 
guests, and upbraided the bridegroom for having kept 
the best until the last, a thing quite contrary to their 
custom, and perhaps, as he thought, a reflection on his 
good management. 

The "six water pots of stone" were probably in the 
courtyard, such as are seen to-day in native houses. In 
these pots they put the water which is brought from the 
well outside the village. Among the Moslems this water 
is used for household purposes and for frequent bathings, 
their hands and feet needing to be washed each time be- 
fore they pray. To say exactly what these "pots of 
stone" at Cana were is rather difficult. In the Greek 
church in Cana there is a jar which is said to be one of 
these, or at least like them. In some of the fellaheen 
houses, also, a very large stone jar is used which is said 
to be one of these, or at least like them. In some of the 
fellaheen houses very large stone jars holding about nine 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



gallons of water are used. The word ^eraprjrrjq tran- 
slated " firkin " is a Greek measure equivalent to nine 
gallons. The people in Nazareth and Cana to-day use 
jars made from baked earth. In the Greek churches they 
use a similar jar or small font made of stone in which the 
babies are immersed. This baptism is a sign of the spir- 
itual purification of spirit, soul and body from sin. 




(76) 



Jesus and the Woman of Samaria 

OHAPTEE VIII. 

JESUS AND THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA— THE VILLAGE AS CHAR, 
ANCIENT SYCHAR — JACOB *S WELLS — WELLS AND WATER JARS 
— THE VILLAGE WELL— HATRED EXISTING BETWEEN JEWS 
AND SAMARITANS. 



Then cometh He to a city of Samaria, which is called 
Sychar, Jno. 4:5. 

After attending the Passover in Jerusalem our Lord 




JACOB'S WELL 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

returned to Galilee through Samaria. Until two years 
ago it was very difficult to travel from Jerusalem to Sa- 
maria and Galilee. Now there is a very good carriage 
road as far as Nablus, a city built on the plain which 
lies between the historical mountains, Ebal and Gerazim. 
A short distance from the city, southeast of Ebal, is 




WELL IN SAMARIA 



a small native village called Aschar— the ancient Sychar. 
About half a mile from it, according to tradition, is the 
Well of Jacob. Beside this well are the ruins of a large 
church which was probably built by the Emperor Con- 
stantine. This is now the property of the Greek Church. 



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Jesus and the Woman of Samaria 

The well is about 21 meters deep. At present there is 
very little water in it, and none during the dry season. 
' 1 Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat 
thus by the well. ' ' The stones which are found beside the 
wells are convenient resting places for tired, thirsty trav- 
ellers. 




WOMEN DRAWING WATER AT EKRON WATER WHEEL 



On the eastern side of the Mount of Olives many old 
wells or cisterns are to be found. Very often they are 
hewn in solid rock but generally a large place is dug out 
on the hillside and built up with a stone wall inside about 
three feet thick and coated with water proof cement, of 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



about three inches thickness. They are bnilt up so that 
at the top they are narrowed like a bottle. The opening 
is large enough to let a man down by a rope when nec- 
essary to clean it. On the mouth of the well several very 
heavy stones are placed, or one very large one, seen in 
the picture. There are drinking troughs for the cattle 
and sheep, hewn in the solid rock. It requires a very 
long rope to reach the water in these walls, and naturally 



4 




WOMEN WITH BURDENS 



the woman of Samaria would be surprised at the pos- 
sibility of anyone being able to give her water when there 
was nothing with which to draw up the water. 

Morning and evening the women and girls gather at the 
wells with their water jars. These wells are the cus- 
tomary places to meet and chat about their neighbors. 

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Jesus and the Woman of Samaria 



The men are never allowed to loiter at these places ; if a 
stranger in passing should pause longer than was nec- 
essary the native women would quickly drive him away. 

According to the custom of the time it is quite possible 
that the Virgin Mary was in the habit of carrying water 
from the well in Nazareth while Joseph and the child 
Jesus worked in the carpenter shop. 




THE VIRGIN'S FOUNTAIN AT NAZARETH 



The women here carry the water in large jars on their 
heads. In this they are very adroit, up hill and down the 
jar retaining its equilibrium. Sometimes it is necessary 
for travellers to ask these women for water to drink. 
Very rarely a spring of water is to be found by the road 
side. It is seldom that money is asked for water in such 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



cases. Mr. Tristrim tells a very touching story regard- 
ing this : While passing through Nain with his daughter 
they stopped at the village well and asked a young girl 
who was just filling her water jar to give them a drink. 
Unlike the woman of Samaria, he writes, she set down 
her tall water jar and readily gave it. On his offering 
her a small present she declined it. Tears filled her 




THE VILIAGE WELL 



eyes and she said, i ' I did not give it for money, I give it 
to strangers for the memory of my mother, who is buried 
over there, ' ' pointing to the graveyard, 1 ' for charity and 
for the love of God. ' ' In vain he pressed it, who could not 
but feel a touch of sympathy for the simple-hearted girl. 

The woman of Samaria did not ask for money but she 
did not give the water until she had satisfied her curiosity 
by asking a question. She was very much surprised that 



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Jesus and the Woman of Samaria 



a Jew would dare to violate a custom, not only of speak- 
ing to a Samaritan woman but that he would speak to a 
woman at all. As a rule, the women here are looked upon 
as mere slaves, especially among the Moslems; of course, 
a man will ask, for what other purpose did he buy her if 
not to work for him? It is altogether contrary to the 




MT. GERIZIM, CAMP OF SAMARITANS ON THE DAY OF THE PASSOVER 



customs of the land for a man to speak to women at wells, 
hence the surprise of the disciples. 

The people here are very much bound by custom. There 
are many things practiced for which they can give no 
reason. It is custom, and a custom with them is more 
binding than law. 

From history it is a well known fact that the Samaritans 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



were the sworn enemies of the Jews. A Jew would 
neither eat nor drink anything which a Samaritan had 
merely looked at, no matter how much he was in need 
of it. The Samaritans claimed Jewish descent and also 




EEVITES ABOUT THE LAMBS AND THE EIRE DURING 
THE SACRAFICE 



that they were the true worshippers of God. ' 'Our 
fathers worshipped in this mountain and ye say that in 
Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.' ' 
The Jews did not recognize this claim. Among them it 
was a great insult to be called a Samaritan. "When they 

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Jesus and the Woman of Samaria 



wanted to show their hatred of our Lord they called him 
' i a Samaritan. ' ' " Say we not well that thou art a Sama- 
ritan, and hast a devil? " ( Jno. 8 :48.) A Samaritan was 
not allowed as a witness in a Jewish court and was ex- 
cluded from becoming a proselyte to the Jewish faith. 
When our Lord sent out the apostles He forbade them 




SLAUGHTERER GETTING THE SHEEP INTO POSITION 



to enter into any of their villages, although they had ac- 
cepted His words and received them gladly. Of the ten 
lepers healed, the only one who showed gratitude to God 
was a Samaritan. Jesus refers to him as an alien. (Luke 
10:32.) 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



Samaria was built about 925 B. C. by Omri the Sixth, 
King of Israel. In 720 B. C. Shalmanezer, King of As- 
syria, carried the inhabitants away and their place was 
supplied by people from Babylon and other places. 
(II Kings 17 :24.) These people were of heathen origin and 
tendencies and brought their gods with them. They 
would hold no religious fellowship with the Jews, al- 
though many of them gladly embraced the gospel. At 
present there are about 200 persons living at Nablus,— 
ancient Shechem. They have a small, dark synagogue, 
which they say resembles the Tabernacle. The Passover 
is rigidly observed by them on a sacred spot on Mount 
Grerizim. 

The Samaritan to-day has the same hatred towards the 
Jew as in ancient times and the Jew hates the Samaritan. 
The Moslems in Nablus are very fanatical so that it is 
a very dangerous thing for a Jew or a Christian to walk 
the streets of Nablus. 




(86) 



Feeding the Multitude 



CHAPTER IX. 

FEEDING THE MULTITUDE — A DESEET — CLIMATE OF 
PALESTINE— BREAD AND OVENS. 

And they did eat, and were all filled. Luke 9 :17. 

According to the gospel, our Lord performed two mira- 
cles of feeding the multitude. Once after the death of 
John the Baptist and again when he went through De- 
cap olis. 

The deserts spoken of here are not lonely spots void of 
vegetation, such as the deserts of Sahara and Arabia, but 
portions of land on which no one lives, altho they are 
cultivated and tilled, or perhaps used as pasture lands. 
John says: "Now there was much grass in the place." 

Like all Orientals, the people of Palestine are quickly 
interested in anything pertaining to the miraculous, and 
they gather in crowds around the object of their curiosity. 
So in the days of our Lord they gathered around Him in 
great numbers to hear His words and be healed. The 
climate of Palestine permits of such gatherings because 
it is a land of sunshine and outdoor life. From May until 
October not a drop of rain falls, so that the people can go 
about and remain away from their homes without fear of 
rain. It is not difficult to understand how a boy or a man 
can carry five loaves of bread, nor is it anything unusual. 
As a rule those who are away from home carry very little 



(87) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 



else. The loaves are not carried in pockets or in baskets, 
but in their bosoms. In this way all the country men 
and boys carry their bread when they are off working in 




A BOY CARRYING LOAVES 
There is a boy here wliicli hath, five loaves and two small fishes. 

their fields or vineyards. Going home to the village in 
the evening they take out a loaf of bread and eat it as 

(88) 



Feeding: the Multitude 

they trudge along. Knives are never used to cut bread; 
it is always broken, just as our Lord "blessed and 
brake. ' ' 

This kind of bread is made in all villages in bake-ovens. 
The loaves are round and flat, very sweet and whole- 
some. The dough is placed on very small, hot stones, 
inside the oven, which is heated by means of baked 
manure. When the stones become very hot the smoke 
is let out and the dough laid on the stones. Each house 
in the village has its own ' 1 Taboun, ' ' although sometimes 
several women bake in one oven to save fuel. Barley 
bread is eaten only by the very poorest. 




A BAKE OVEN AT NAZARETH 



(89) 



Healing the Sick 



CHAPTER X. 

HEALING THE SICK — CAUSE OF MANY DISEASES IN PALESTINE — 
HOSPITALS — THE BLIND— BEGGING AND BEGGARS — 
SCHOOL FOE BLIND— POOL OF SILOAM — THE 
LEPER — FEVER. 

The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the 
lepers are cleansed. Matt. 11:4 

Every kind of malady spoken of in the gospel and 
which evoked the sympathy and miraculous power of 
Jesus is seen in Palestine to-day. The land is full of the 
poor, halt, maimed and blind. To go through the country 
and see these people one might imagine the gospel was 
written but yesterday. These diseases are not because 
of the lack of good, fresh air and a healthful climate, but 
come from the ignorance, carelessness and filthiness of 
the people. They have no thought as to the care of their 
bodies. 

After our Lord's first miracle in Cana He went forth 
to save and heal all those who came unto Him. His heart 
was touched when He saw the miserable condition of the 
beings whom He had created. Many times it is written, 
"He had compassion on the multitude," or, "He was 
moved with compassion." In this He gave us an excellent 
example in that instead of much time, energy and money 
being spent on deciding who "do not follow us," it 



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Healing- the Sick 



would undoubtedly be more pleasing to God if we fol- 
lowed the example of our Lord and were more concerned 
about relieving the distress of the poor and suffering. On 
every hand, to-day, there are cries for help from those 
afflicted with leprosy, blindness and other diseases. 

In Jerusalem and Jaffa there are various hospitals 
but these are not sufficient for all Palestine ; consequently 




MISS ELVERSON, A. C. M. S. WORKER AND HER SCHOOL. OF BEGGARS 

travellers are continually shocked at the sight of these 
poor creatures. Many who ought to be in hospitals or 
asylums are roaming the streets and highways, to the an- 
noyance of wayfarers. It would probably be difficult to 



(91) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 

find another country where there are so many needy peo- 
ple. On every street, in sunshine and shower, they cry 
for help from those passing by. 

The blind are everywhere. Covered with rags, with 
a stick and a pail they wander from place to place asking 
for bread. 

They very soon become accustomed to regular passers- 
by and any one in the habit of giving is recognized im- 




A BLIND BEGGAR WOMAN 



mediately. Their hands are continually held out for 
" Bakshish' ' just as the lame man did at the Beautiful 
Gate of the Temple. 

With many, begging is a profession. Unlike the lepers 
they are allowed to go wherever they please. They not 
only sit by the waysides begging, but also go to the houses 
and knock at the doors. Whenever there is a feast, these 



(92) 



Healing: the Sick 



beggars are sure to be on band. They have regular days 
for calling at some houses and are very persistent. Others 
are more discreet and sing plaintive songs or merely hold 
out their hands, with tears in their eyes, so that one feels 
compelled to give something. This poor woman in tbe 
picture always invokes the blessing of God upon you and 
your household when anything is given her. Looking at 




A MAN BORN BLIND" 



all this misery, we can better understand our Lord in the 
synagogue at Nazareth when He opened the book of 
Isaiah where it is written, "He hath annointed me to 
preach the gospel to the poor. ' ' 

There is a school here for blind girls which is supported 
by people in America. There are not more than 18 girls 



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The Gospel in]jts Native Land 



in the school, which is very few compared to the number 
in the land. The J ews at present are establishing schools 
and homes for the relief of their own people. 




THE POOH, OF SILOAM 



Ophthalmia is a very prevalent disease throughout 
Palestine. Men, women and children all suffer from it. 
Much of it is due to the uncleanliness of the people. 



(94) 



I 



Healing the Sick 

When the children have sore eyes no attention is given to 
them whatever. In the summer it is quite usual to see a 
dozen or more flies around sore eyes, with no effort made 
to brush them away. The little eyes are not even washed 
with clean water and protected from the sunlight. In the 
villages the women are busy all day working in their gar- 
dens or selling their goods in the markets. 




VILLAGE OF SJXOAM 



The people of this land are fatalists. It is one of the 
doctrines in the Koran as well as an ancient Jewish idea. 
No matter what befalls a Moslem, he will say, ' 1 It is my 
fate. " ' ' It is from God. ' ' This old, blind man was asked 
one day how he became blind. He answered, ' ' It is from 
God, because of my sins." If any of them were healed 



(95) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 

to-day as Jesus healed the man born blind, they would 
probably have the same thing said to them by modern 
Pharisees as were said by the Pharisees of old. It is pre- 
sumption for them to ask God to take away something 
He has given them. 

The English physicians are trying to do much to re- 
lieve those suffering from sore eyes but there is 
great need for the " Great Physician' ' whose fame spread 
into Syria, Galilee, Judea and East of the Jordan. 

The pool of Siloam, to which Jesus sent the man after 
anointing his eyes with clay, is still to be seen. It is just 
at the beginning of the Tyropean Valley near the village 
of Siloam. The pool is about 48 feet long and 15 feet 
wide. It required faith and obedience on the part of the 
man to go down to such a place. In Jifnah, a village 
about nine miles from Jerusalem, there is a spring which 
supplies the entire village with water. No one knows 
from whence it comes or whither it goes, nor who built the 
aqueduct. It was probably the Eomans. In order to get 
to the water one must go down about 15 steps and dip it 
up. It is very dangerous for one unaccustomed to going 
down these slippery steps. Perhaps the Pool of Siloam 
was similar to this one. 

At one time there was a Christian church built beside 
it. The pool was surrounded by a wall and divided in 
two, one part for the men and the other for the women. 
The people imagined that this water possessed miracu- 
lous healing virtues. 

Many authorities say that the spring in Siloam from 
which the pool gets its water is the Gihon of the Old 



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Healing- the Sick 



Testament, or Silvah. There is an underground tunnel 
hewn in the solid rock. In 1880 a very ancient Jewish in- 
scription was found in it. It is supposed to have been 
built in the reign of King Hezekiah. 

Among the Moslems it is very common to see one blind 
man leading two or more. Blind children often lead 
about a blind father. If the leader stumbles they all fall, 
then the words of our Savior are quickly brought to 



i 

LEPEES FROM THE VILLAGE OF SILOAM 

mind: "If the blind guide the blind both shall fall into 
the pit." As a rule, the blind are unmolested. Some- 
times if they try to push into a crowd they will be rudely 
put out just as the multitude did at Jericho, when the 
two blind men tried to go to Jesus. 

Another class of beggars really deserving of pity and 
help are the lepers. Much of the distress of the common 
beggar has been caused by bad government and lack of 
opportunity. Not so with the lepers. No matter how 
willing or anxious they may be, no one would think of 



(97) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 

allowing them to touch anything belonging to them. All 
they can do is to remain outside the city walls on some 
public road and hold out their poor hands for a penny. 

This picture was taken near the Garden of Gethsemane 
on the road leading to Bethany and Jericho. Miss J. 




ONE OF THE SIGHTS SEEN ON THE STREETS OF JERUSALEM 

Glassy, of St. Louis, Mo., has worked among the lepers 
for the last three years. She visits them every two 
weeks, reads the gospel to them and helps them in every 
way possible, and gives them food and old white cotton 
for binding up their wounds. At Christmas time, if she 



(98) 




A GKOUPE DE LEPREUX JERUSALEM 



Healing the Sick 



has sufficient money, she gives them a Christmas dinner. 
All this is from her own pocket, as she receives nothing 
from America towards helping the poor people. The 
people of the American colony also do what they can to 
help the lepers in the village of Siloam, where there are 
abont thirty-five. 

Forty-five years ago the Germans established a hos- 
pital for lepers. At present there are about fifty-two 
under their care. Dr. Einsler, who has been their physi- 
cian for thirty years, says that there is no medicine which 
is of any benefit to them. There are about four hundred 
lepers, altogether, in Palestine. The number has been 
about the same for the last four hundred years. In the 
hospital there are more men than women. Marriage is 
forbidden between those in the hospital. Those who can, 
work in their gardens. Excellent Christian nurses are 
in charge, and everything is done that is possible to 
relieve their sufferings. 

The sight of many of them is very offensive. Their 
faces are disfigured, members maimed, and their bodies 
full of ulcers and impurities. They do not cry "Unclean, 
unclean," as in ancient times, but "Bakshish, Bakshish." 

Perhaps this is due to the desolate condition of the 
country, and their hunger compels them to cry out, Very 
little satisfies them, a bit of bread and cheese, or a few 
olives. 

Nothing has been said of many other prevalent dis- 
eases. Fever is a very common ailment, being sick one 
day, working the next and perhaps in bed the next. It 
is not difficult to understand how Peter's wife's mother 



(101) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 

who was healed of a great fever, "rose and ministered 
unto them. ' ' "With Europeans it is quite different. Many 
of these are sick for months at a time with this fever, and 
some have slight attacks continually. 




(102) 



The Man Sick of the Palsy 



CHAPTEK XL 

THE MAN SICK OF THE PALSY — CARRYING THE SICK — THE ROOF 
A HOUSE — THE OUTSIDE STAIRWAY — OBSERVANCE OF THE 
SABBATH TODAY. 

And they come, bringing unto him one sick of the palsy, 
borne by four. Mark 2 :3. 

There are many people in Palestine today who are 
"sick of the palsy," or paralytic. If our Savior were 
on earth to-day, no doubt this bringing of a paralytic 
would be repeated many times. There is no way of carry- 
ing the sick from one place to another but by a sort of 
stretcher on the shoulders of four men. In the villages 
the houses are built very much the same as they were in 
the days of our Lord. The buildings are one story high 
with a flat roof made of dry grass, thorns, and a layer 
of clay two or three inches thick. Some houses have 
stone roofs. Outside stair cases are still common in 
Palestine, so that it would not be difficult for the bearers 
to cany the paralytic on to the flat roof. As many roofs 
have hallways opening into a room below, which can be 
lifted in dry weather, it would be very easy for this to 
be taken up, but to tear up a roof made of cement and 
stone or a thick bed of earth and boughs would have been 
very difficult and the crowd below would have been 
quickly scattered. 



(103) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 



In times of war and persecution it was very easy for 
those living within the city to escape by the house tops 
as the houses are built very closely together, the streets 
in many places being merely tunnels. 

The pool of Bethesda is said to be near the Gate of 




FELLAH CARRYING HIS BED 



St. Stephen and is the property of the Latin church. 
Many authorities claim that it is to be found in front of 
this place where there is a very deep hollow, 100 meters 
long and 40 wide, on the north side of ' ' Harem cherif . ' y 
It is now filled with rubbish. A few years ago it was 
possible to see the ruins of arches, porches and columns. 



(104) 



The Man Sick of the Palsy 



The Jews to-day are very strict in their observance of 
the Sabbath and would consider it unlawful for a man 
to carry the smallest thing on that day, much less a bed. 
Some of them will not so much as strike a match on the 
Sabbath. I heard of one Jew here who was given a coat, 
he could not break the Jewish law to carry anything on 
the Sabbath and in order to get the coat he put it on and 
wore it. In ancient times some of the sects of the Jews 
were so strict in their observance of the Sabbath that 
they would not move from the spot they were on when 
morning dawned. So the making of clay and the carry- 
ing of a bed was a very grievous sin in their eyes. What- 
ever work falls on the Sabbath is either left until the next 
day or a Gentile is called in to do it. 

This shows the strict adherence of the Jews to the letter 
of the law and their disregard of the spirit of it. 




(105) 



Burial Customs 



CHAPTEE XII. 

BURIAL, CUSTOMS — OLD CUSTOMS — THE WINDING sheet— pho- 
tographer's difficulties— meaning of word "coffin" 
or "bier"— widow of nain — graves — tombs of the 
kings — tombs of the judges — " rolling stones " — 
mourners and hired mourners. 

Now when lie drew near to the gate of the city, behold, 
there was carried out one that was dead. Luke 7 :12. 

In front of Mt. Tabor near the plain of Esdraelon, on 
the north-western edge of "Little Hermon" is situated 
the modern village of Nain. Authorities assure us that 
this is the site of the ancient village of Nain. 

Until a few years ago the villages and cities of Palestine 
were limited within walls. Fifty years ago the gates of 
Jerusalem were closed at sun down and no one could 
enter without permission from the Pasha. The cemeteries 
and tombs are generally located just outside the city wall, 
as visitors to Jerusalem have probably observed. Near 
the gates are also the commercial and judicial gatherings. 
Jesus was probably about to enter the village of Nain 
when he met the funeral procession of the widow's dead 
son. 

The people here consider it a sacred duty to follow 
friends and acquaintances to the grave. 

The burial customs are the same to-day as in the time 



(106) 



Burial Customs 



of our Savior. When anyone dies they are at once pre- 
pared for burial and interred the same day. Among 
Jews I have been told they will even hasten a death for 
fear that a corpse remain in the Holy City over night. 

The body is washed and wrapped in a white sheet, per- 
fumes and spices being put in the water in which the 




RUSSIAN FUNERAL — BODY BORNE BY FOUR 



body is washed, or in the folds of the sheet. Those who 
are rich buy a linen sheet. Joseph of Arimathea, being 
a rich man, bought a linen sheet to wrap the Lord's body 
in, and Nicodemus brought the spices. In some Moslem 
villages spices are scattered in the grave before the 
body is put in. "When the body is wrapped, the hands 



(107) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 

and feet are bound with bandages. The head is bound 
with a cloth like a napkin. It was in this manner the 
body of Jesus and Lazarus were bound. 

Christians and Moslems use coffins for the dead, but 
among the Jews a coffin is rarely used and only by those 
who have come from foreign countries. "With them the 
body is placed on a sort of stretcher made of canvas and 
two long poles. Sometimes the wrapped body is carried 




TOMBS OF THE JUDGES 



without being covered at all. The poles are placed on the 
shoulders of four young men, who carry the body to the 
synagogue and from there to the place of burial. 

It is very difficult to get a picture of a Jewish funeral. 
If a picture is taken the body is then considered unclean 
and the ceremony of cleansing must be preformed be- 
fore it can be buried. When anyone is seen with a camera 
the followers crowd around the body to prevent a picture 



(108) 




THE TOMB OF JOSEPH, IN THE SACRED CAVE OF MACHPELAH 



Burial Customs 



being taken. A procession of this kind can be beard a 
long distance, as the mourners repeat portions of tbe 
psalms all along tbe way. This picture of a Russian 
funeral is tbe nearest to a Jewish funeral of any I have 
seen. The poles are similar, but the Jews have no coffins, 
as you see here. 

o~op os the Greek word which is translated " coffin/ ' or 
"bier," does not have any reference to our coffins of to- 
day. One day a Greek young lady was translating this 
chapter into English. When she came to the word crop 09 
she translated it "dead body." I said "no, not dead 
body, a coffin." "No," she said, "I know what a coffin 
is ; this word means dead body. ' ' I quickly saw that that 
was more in keeping with the Jewish customs of a burial 
and that in Nain, it was the body our Lord touched when 
the bearers stood still. 

The sick are often carried in the same way and it would 
be a very simple thing for such a person, when halted, to 
obey the command, 1 ' take up thy bed and walk. ' 1 

On account of there being no fences the grave yards are 
unprotected from man and beast. In ancient times the 
Jews buried their dead in natural and artificial caves. 
Around Jerusalem a great many tombs of this kind are 
to be seen. They form a very interesting and important 
point in Jewish archaeology. There are what are called 
the "Tombs of the Kings" and the "Tombs of the 
Judges." All down the "Vlalley of Dry Bones" are 
evidences of there having been many such places. Some 
of these tombs are much adorned, especially those of 
noted men. At present among Moslems and Jews, the 



(ill) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 



grave stones and ornaments are kept white and clean. So 
our Lord when illustrating the hypocrisy of the scribes 
and Pharisees refers to this custom. (Matt. 23:27-29). 
The tombs of the Patriarchs are in Hebron, jealously 
guarded by the Moslems. No Christian or Jew is ever 
permitted to enter them. 



11 : ■ 




THE ROLLING STONE AT "THE TOMBS OF THE KINGS" 



In front of many of these tombs, which are hewn in 
solid rock, are the "Rolling Stones.' ' These stones were 
so cut that they could be rolled back and forth. When- 
ever it was desired to make the sepulchre very safe, as 
was that of Jesus', it was sealed. No one could then 



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Burial Customs 



enter and steal a body without its being known. (Matt. 
27 :64). Inside the "Tombs of the Kings,' ' is room for 
about 80 bodies. The opening which you see in the pic- 
ture is the entrance into a small room about 8 feet wide, 
10 feet long and from 7 to 8 feet high. In the walls around 
are niches just big enough for a coffin or body to be put 
in. 

When Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of 
James, came to the tomb of Jesus on the first day of the 




A MOSLEM FUNEUAL AND GRAVEYARD 



week they were very much perplexed about this stone, 
(Mark 16:3-4), "and saying among themselves, Who 
shall roll us away the stone from the door of the tombf 
and looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled 
back : ' ' and they ' ' entered in. ' ' Being the tomb of a rich 
man and "hewn out in the rock" it was in all probability 
similar to the one just described, as it also adds, (Matt! 
27:60) "and he rolled a great stone to the door and de- 
parted." Of course all tombs are not so large as the one 
described above. 



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The - Gospel in Its Native Land 



When speaking of the grave of Lazarus the apostle 
distinctly says that it was a cave. "Now it was a cave, 
and a stone lay against it." (Jno. 11:38.) Jesns did not 
say "roll the stone away," but "take it away." There 
are many natural caves in the land to-day and no doubt 
those who were too poor to have tombs hewn in the solid 
rock made use of these. 




MOSLEM FUNERAL-WOMEN MOURNERS 



Very often in Moslem cemeteries there are graves 
which have no headstones and very often people walk 
over the graves without knowing it. "For ye are as the 
tombs which appear not and the men that walk over them 
know it not. ' ' (Luke 11 :44.) 

After the funeral, the mourners return every day for 
nearly a week to weep and wail with the relatives of 

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Burial Customs 



the deceased. Paid mourners or wailing women are an es- 
tablished institution in the Holy Land, and have been 
from earliest ages. They gather at the house of the 
dead and wail and cry in a very distressing manner. This 
grief of course is not real, and it is very easy for them to 
change it into laughter, as they did when Jesus raised the 
ruler's daughter. 

In the villages there is a supper of rice, cooked in 
butter, for those who attend as mourners. Among the 
Bedouins when a man belonging to the tribe dies, they 
take one of his best sheep, or a cow, and kill it near the 
dead body. After the funeral the animal is cooked, and 
every follower must eat a little; otherwise it would be 
a great offense to the dead man. This is called "The 
Feast of the Dead;" among Christians, "The Bread of 
Mourning," or "The Cup of Consolation." 




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Eastern Hospitality 



CHAPTER XIII. 

EASTERN HOSPITALITY — MARTHA— MOSLEM CEREMONY OF 
WASHING— CARE OE FEET— PREPARATIONS EOR A FEAST — 
POSITION WHILE EATING— SERVICE. 

Thou gavest me no water for my feet: Luke 7:44. 

As in the days of Abraham it was the custom to enter- 
tain strangers and wash their feet, so it was in the days of 
our Lord and is still practiced among the fellaheen and 
Bedouins of Palestine today. In the early church the 
custom continued until the third or fourth century. St. 
Paul commends those in the habit of doing this : "If -she 
hath used hospitality to strangers, if she hath washed the 
saints' feet." (I Tim. 5:10.) St. Ghrysostum in the fourth 
century in one of his sermons said that no other thing 
was more esteemed in the church than the entertaining 
of strangers. In Antioch the church provided a home for 
the entertainment of strangers, especially the poor. 

In villages and among the Bedouins a passing stranger 
is frequently urged to come in and share their meal with 
them. Europeans who have travelled among the Be- 
douins can testify to the generous hospitality of these 
people. It seems to be their nature to invite strangers to 
share their home with them. A short time ago the Gov- 
ernor General of Palestine took a trip to the south in 
order to encourage the Bedouins to lead domestic lives 



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E a stern Hospitality 

and to strengthen the boundary line between Palestine 
and Egypt. On his way there and back he was frequently 
urged by the Bedouin chiefs to come and dine with them. 

On one occasion the chief of a large tribe, when he 
heard that the Governor was passing, came to him bare 




SHEIK OF A VILXAGE 



headed and in his bare feet and begged him to come and 
drink coffee with him. Being pressed for time the Gov- 
ernor refused, whereupon the chief declared he could 
never face his tribe again and it would be better for 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



him to go and roam on the mountain tops than return to 
his people. Upon this the Governor consented, and with 
his party of 500 rode to the encampment. After drinking 
the coffee the chief insisted on preparing a dinner, prom- 
ising to prepare all in two hours. He called fifty of 
his men to kill and prepare 30 sheep. Others were set 
to work to make ready the fires. Large holes were dug 
in the ground and firewood put in the bottom. The meat 
and other things were cooked in large tangeras over these 
fires. The women were sent to grind the wheat to make 
flour for bread. In two hours and a half dinner was 
served to over 500 people. The food was put in small 
tangeras, from five to six eating with their fingers from 
the same dish. 

On many occasions they besought our Lord to ' ' abide" 
with them. " Abide with us, for the day is far spent." 
(Luke 24:29.) 

It is easy for a man to travel here without provisions, 
as he can be sure of receiving hospitality from the vil- 
lagers. Perhaps as our Lord went throughout Galilee 
and the regions round about he was entertained in this 
way. 

When a traveler of high rank is being entertained 
they kill one of the best of the flock and the host stands 
by and serves him, just as Abraham did when he enter- 
tained the three men who came to his tent. (Gen. 18:7.) 
A recent experience of a woman missionary is ap- 
propriate just here. While on a missionary trip she 
went to a village in which no missionary had ever set 
foot. She was warmly received by the people of the vil- 



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BEDOUIN HOSPITALITY 



Eastern Hospitality 

lage and a feast prepared for her. The best sheep to 
be found in the village was killed and no one was allowed 
to touch it until she had first eaten. This was in a vil- 
lage near Beersheba, not far from the place where 
Abraham entertained the three angels. 

Martha is a good type of the present mistress of a 




WATER JUG USED AT THE GREEK "FEET WASHING" CEREMONY 

fellaheen house and a true descendant of Sarah. When 
these people are entertaining guests they go to a great 
deal of trouble and keep everyone around them busy 
working providing something to eat, leaving the guests 
to amuse themselves. 



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The Gospel in Its 



Native Land 



In the city where the women are veiled they never ap- 
pear when there is male company. The host or a ser- 
vant must wait on the guest; in fact, the wife does not 
eat with her own husband unless requested to do so. 

When the women go out they must be veiled. I have 
heard a Moslem say he would kill his wife if she ever 
went out without her veil on. 




A FEI/LAH WASHING HI3ISELF 



When a visitor enters a house his shoes are left at the 
door. The servant then brings water to wash his feet. 
If there is no servant, the host himself will perform this 
service, or give him a basin of water that he may do it 
himself. There is a special water jug with a long spout 
used for washing hands and feet. The natives and Mos- 
lems never think of washing in any other way and laugh 
at our custom of pouring water into a basin and wash- 
ing in it. 



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Eastern Hospitality 

The Moslems wash their hands and feet before they 
pray. This is a type of what they want God to do for 
them inwardly. They also use a special mat to kneel on, 
which is never used for any other purposes, and at home, 
if possible, they wear a special robe. More than three 
times a day a faithful Moslem must perform this duty, 
the Koran commanding it as a type of cleansing and 
purification. It is considered a great evil for a Moslem 
to offer prayer to God without washing his hands. 

The poor people of this country never wear stockings. 
Even when the snow is on the ground, the poor fellaheen 
women walk into town with their baskets on their heads 
but with no shoes or stockings on their feet. They are 
very careful with their shoes and carry them in their 
baskets in order to save them ; their feet they never mind. 

One cold, rainy day, a very poor Jewess came to the 
house to ask for some work. Her house was a mere shack 
and her children had had no food for three days. When 
she came in her feet were blue and all her body shivering 
with cold. We asked her what a pair of shoes would 
cost and she told us she had never bought a pair in her 
life. We sent out and bought her a serviceable pair and 
gave her stockings to put on. She was so delighted 
with her new shoes that she not only kissed our hands but 
our feet also. As she sat shivering with the cold, one 
could not help thinking that perhaps our Savior had suf- 
fered in the same way, because "for your sakes He be- 
came poor that ye through His poverty might become 
rich," (n Cor. 8:9) "and "He that hath pity upon the 
poor lendeth unto the Lord, and his good deed will 



(123) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 

He pay him again." (Prov. 19:17.) He experienced all 
the sufferings of the poor and for this reason He had pity 
upon them. 

In the summer time the roads are very hot and dirty, 




FEET WASHING CEREMONY OF THE GREEK CHURCH 
PATRIARCH WASHING THE FEET OF 13 OF HIS SUBORDINATES 

in winter cold and muddy, so that those who walk about 
barefoot are very glad to be given a little water to wash 
their feet before entering a house. Perhaps the great 
need established the custom, especially for weary trav- 
elers and guests. 

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Eastern Hospitality 



When a guest is invited to dine at a house the respect 
in which he is held is always shown by the way he is 
treated. The invitation is given orally by the host, or a 
servant is sent. A native dinner or feast requires a 
great deal of preparation, which is done for the most 
part in the open air, so that all the people of the village 
learn about it and gather around to watch, all who enter. 
The poor and the maimed go expecting to receive a little. 
So it was not an unusual thing that the woman who was 
a sinner should know about Jesus being present at the 
feast given by Simon. As there are no chairs and tables 
used, it is customary for guests to recline at meals, and 
according to the Greek text, the word KaraKkivo} has that 
meaning. When the people eat, they sit on a cushion or 
mat, on the floor, their feet are crossed under them, tailor 
fashion, or they lie on one hip with one hand supporting 
the head and the feet protruding behind. In such a posi- 
tion it would have been very easy for the woman to stand 
behind our Lord and wash his feet, to the chagrin of the 
Pharisee who had neglected this act of courtesy to an in- 
vited guest. It is possible that our Lord did not see her 
until He spoke to Simon and rebuked him for his lack of 
good manners, which will be shown more clearly in the 
chapter on salutations. 

The people all eat from the same dish. It is a special 
act of politeness for the host to grope for choice morsels 
and put them into the mouth of his guest. The thin bread 
serves as a spoon when necessary to take up the meat, 
which is always cut in small pieces. 

Knives, forks and spoon are not used, but the fingers, 



(125) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 

and for this reason the hands are always washed before 
and after eating. The Pharisees in Jesus' time gave 
this custom a ritual observance and carried it to extremes, 
as they did many other things regarding the letter of 
the law, and not the spirit. 

If a Jew sees a piece of paper on the street on the 
Sabbath day, it is a sin for him to pick it up or touch it 
with his hand, but he may roll a stone on it with his foot, 
and the next day go and pick it up. 

If a host neglects to wash the feet of his guest it is a 
sign that he does not love or esteem him. When Simon 
omitted to give our Savior water to wash his feet, it is 
very evident that he did not regard our Lord as his 
superior or friend and disregarded a courtesy due to 
common guests. 

Another custom which Simon disregarded was that of 
perfuming and anointing his guest. It is necessary to do 
this unless the host desires to show his guest that he 
does not wish to treat him as an equal,— a gross breach 
of the laws of Eastern hospitality. 

Among the Christian churches, Latin, Greek, Armenian 
and Coptic, foot-washing is observed as an ordinance. 
Many Americans here in the spring of the year witness 
this celebration by the churches. Incense is used very 
freely in the Eastern churches and the homes of the peo- 
ple. 



(126) 



Salutations 



CHAPTER XIV. 

SALUTATIONS — KISSING — GREETING BETWEEN PAKENTS AND 

SON. 

All the people when they beheld him running to him 
saluted him. Mark 9 :15. 

A great deal could be said about the modes of saluta- 
tion in Palestine, the words used and the different ways 
in which respect, courtesy and love is expressed. Very 
frequently is heard, "God be with you," "God be 
gracious," or "God give you long life," etc. Very often 
it is " Peace be unto you, ' ' the Arabic salutation from the 
Old Testament. The New Testament greeting is the 
Greek word ^atpere meaning "rejoice," or "be joy- 
ful," frequently translated "all hail," which does not 
convey the full meaning of the word. The angel's saluta- 
tion to Mary was x a W € "Be joyful, thou that art highly 
favored," a very appropriate salutation at the time. 
(Luke 1:28.) 

The word ^atpere is used by the Greeks when they 
meet and when they part. After the battle of Marathon 
a runner was sent to Athens to tell of the great victory 
that had been won. When the messenger reached Athens 
all he could say was x a ^P eT ^ "Athenians nico" and 
dropped dead. This word has been used by the Greeks 
from very ancient times, and is used at all times of the 
day. 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

The Arabic salutation differs according to the time of 
day and the rank of the person addressed. Among the 
Arabs the ordinary way of showing respect or submission 
to a superior is by kissing the back of his hand. When 
a favor is to be asked the petitioner kisses the hand of 



the person addressed, if the petition is granted he repeats 
this. The tips of the fingers are taken in both his hands, 
and bowing down, he kisses, the back of the hand, then 
raising it, he touches it to his forehead. This ' ' bowing 
down" may have been the homage which Joseph's breth- 
ren paid to him. 

The ordinary salutation is to raise the right hand and 
incline the head a very little, then quickly place the hand 
upon the heart, lips and forehead. 




KISSING THE HAND 



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Salutations 



When an inferior kisses the hand of a superior, as a 
rule the superior will offer a slight resistance and po- 
litely endeavor to withdraw his hand. Those who wish to 
appear very generous will return the salutation by kiss- 
ing the forehead or cheek of the other. If a high official 
kisses the hand of a dignitary, very often the salutation 
is returned, as when the Greek Consul kisses the hand of 
a patriarch, the patriarch then kisses him on the forehead. 

In some cases it is compulsory when those in authority 
desire to exact a sign of submission from those beneath 
them, the hand is presented and the kiss is obligatory. 
When an offender desires the forgiveness of a superior, 
often he will kiss the feet, and sometimes this is done by 
the poor to show their gratitude. They touch the feet of 
the superior with the right hand and kiss the hand and 
then raise it to their forehead. Sometimes the feet are 
actually kissed. This is the lowliest form of greeting. 
Small children who beg on the streets will bend down and 
touch the ground in front of one, kiss their hand and 
touching it to their forehead, they say " Bakshish. ' ' 
American tourists no doubt have frequently seen the 
waifs go through this performance. 

Another form of servile submission is that of kissing 
the end of the loose, flowing abeyah, as when the woman 
with an issue of blood kissed the hem of Christ 's garment. 
Among native Christians it is the custom for poor, dis- 
eased men and women to kiss the hem of the priest's 
garment, in hopes that they will receive blessing and re- 
lief. The priests in such cases place their hands upon 
the head of the person and ask God to bless them. This is 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

done also among Moslems and other sects of the east, and 
very often with children who are brought to be blest, and 
also when persons are dying. 

When the Mohammedans begin to pray they clasp their 
hands and ldss the thumbs three times, then touch the 
forehead, as a token of submission and earnest supplica- 
tion to God. 

A fellah always kisses the hand of a sheik. Among 
Christians and Moslems the public kiss is customary on 
feast days. On these days a Moslem woman is permitted 
to kiss the hand of her husband but never, never does 
a Moslem kiss his wife. A Moslem who was in the habit 
of passing the German colony each night on his way home, 
once saw a German kiss his wife as he returned from 
work. The next day he went to him and told him if ever 
he saw him do such a thing in public again he would 
shoot him. On Easter, native Christians kiss each other 
in the church. Palestine has been called by some ' 1 a coun- 
try of kissing," but it must be distinctly understood that 
this refers to men kissing men, and women, women. When 
the apostle said " Salute one another with a holy kiss" 
(Eom 16 :16) no thought of a man kissing a woman ever 
entered his head. In the synagogues and churches of 
Palestine to-day women and men are separated; just as 
there was a separate court for men and women in the 
temple, so there were separate apartments in the syna- 
gogues, and men and women never mingled in a place of 
worship. Paul's command to the women of Corinth was 
quite in accordance with Eastern customs and ideas. It 
is impossible to this day for a woman to speak or have 
part in any public service. 

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Salutations 



Priests of equal rank kiss each other on the lips when 
celebrating any service in the church. This is called the 
"Apostolic kiss," or "Kiss of love," a symbol of Chris- 
tian love and brotherhood. The kiss commanded by the 
apostle was a sign of friendliness and social equality 
given with sincere respect and affection, these measuring 
one another by the spirit, and not material prosperity. 



The priests kiss the hand of the patriarch or bishop. If 
the bishop in return kisses them on the forehead it is a 
mark of special favor. Many times I have seen the mem- 
bers of the Latin church kneel and kiss the hand of their 
patriarch when he was taking a walk. The kiss of the 
hand is required of the laity by the clergy. Moslem 
servants must kiss the hand of their masters. Before 
they kiss the hand they must kneel, and kneel again after 




SAEUTE NO MAN ON THE WAY— LUKE 10:4 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

kissing it. When a master is angry the servant will run 
and kiss his knees, feet and hands in order to regain his 
favor. 

Although much time is spent on these greetings and 
salutations they are mostly between brethren or those of 
the same creed, sect or nationality. Christ says, "if ye 
salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?" 
(Matt. 5:47.) 

In polite society there is a very common custom of kiss- 
ing given by the host to his guests. The right hand is 
placed upon the left shoulder and the kiss is given on the 
right cheek, then the left hand is placed on the right 
shoulder and the left cheek is like-wise kissed. When 
our Savior went to dine with Simon, the Pharisee, he re- 
ceived none of the customary courtesies due to a guest 
from the host. This was a gross breach of Eastern hos- 
pitality toward an invited guest. When he addressed the 
Savior he called him ' ' Master, " or " Eabbi, ' 9 a title given 
to superiors and as such it would have been proper for 
him to have kissed His hand, hence our Lord's rebuke for 
his unkind and discourteous conduct. 

When the betrayal of Judas, the traitor, is portrayed, 
he is generally represented as kissing our Lord on the 
cheek, but when Judas addressed Him as "Eabbi," a term 
of respect, he would not have presumed to have kissed 
Him on the cheek. The Greek implies that he kissed Him 
much. To kiss His hand in this way was a token of 
humble submission. 

When a mother or father is parting from a son, or 
meets one who has returned after a long absence, the 



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Salutations 



greeting is exceedingly impressive and picturesque. As 
stated in the parable of the prodigal son they literally 
fall on each others' necks. The son puts his arm around 
his father's neck and his face upon his shoulder and then 
kisses his right cheek and vice versa. 

It is quite contrary to Eastern etiquette, especially 
among Moslems, for men and women to greet each other 
in public unless members of the same family. A man is 
not allowed to address one word to a woman in public 
with whom he is not acquainted. This accounts for the 
embarrassment of the apostles when they found the Mas- 
ter in conversation with the Samaritan woman. (Jno. 
4:27.) 

The custom in America and other countries of kissing 
the Bible when sworn has its origin in an ancient act of 
saluting a document in token of reverence for the au- 
thority of the sender. To kiss the Book is to acknowledge 
the existence and power of God, and submission to His 
written Word. This custom is still practiced in the Greek 
church. After the priest reads the gospel he kisses the 
page which he has read. "When the Pasha reads a docu- 
ment from the Sultan in public he kisses it before and 
after reading it and lays his head upon it as a token of 
absolute submission and obedience. 

When Dr. Thompson was travelling in the north of 
Palestine, he tells how one day he was passing the house 
of a sheik. As soon as the sheik saw him he sent one 
of his servants to invite him into his house. Dr. Thomp- 
son refused, thereupon the sheik sent another servant, a 
kinsman, with his son, to beg him to accept his hos- 



(133) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 

pitality. The sheik received him with great honor and 
kissed him on both cheeks. The Bedouins have the same 
custom. The omission of the kiss is a sign of adverseness 
and travelers must then beware. 




(134) 



A City Set On a Hill 



CHAPTEE 33Vi 

STREETS OF A VILLAGE— ROOFS— CANDLES. 

A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Matt. 5 :14. 

It is quite obvious that when our Lord was speak- 
ing He had before Him the natural illustrations used so 
frequently throughout the gospel. While delivering His 
Sermon on the Mount He had before Him the ancient 
"Safed" in Galilee, now in ruins. These ruins are on an 
eminence 2,000 feet above the level of the sea, easily seen 
from points in the district. Indeed, there are many such 
cities in Palestine and the illustration comes with great 
force to a traveler passing through that land. It would 
be quite impossible for such a city to be hidden or its 
lights not seen. From the top of Gibeah Saul, where 
King Saul had his palace built, no less than twenty vil- 
lages of importance can be seen, such as Bethlehem, Jeru- 
salem, Bait, Jelah, Nebi, Samuel or Mizpah, Gibeon, 
Bethel, Eamallah, Eamah, Anathoth, Michmash, Giba, 
and others all closely connected with the history of Israel. 
Jericho, although a city of the plain, was probably built 
on a small elevation, as the land rises gradually from 
Elisha's Fountain to the Mount of Temptation. 

The dwellers in a village usually have their gardens 
and fields near at hand, but it often happens that a man 
owns a field or vineyard near some other village five or 
six miles away. 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



The streets of the villages are very narrow, crooked 
and stony. After the rains of the winter, these streets 
are in very poor condition and must be repaired. The 
low places are filled in and the rough ones made smooth. 

When the German Emperor wished to visit Palestine 
in 1898, the Sultan gave orders to the Governor of Jeru- 




A CITY THAT IS SET ON A HJXL CANNOT BE HID— MATT. 5:14 



salem to prepare roadways for the Emperor. At that 
time the road to the Mount of Olives was built and the 
roads to Jericho and Bethlehem improved and made good, 
bringing to mind the words of the prophet Isaiah, ' ' The 
crooked shall be made straight and the rough places 
plain." (Isaiah 40:3-4. See margin R. V.) 

Nearly all the houses in the villages and many in Jeru- 



(136) 



A City Set On a Hill 



salem are built with flat roofs. These house tops are used 
as Europeans use their gardens, for amusement and 
fresh air. In the summer when it is very warm many eat 
and sleep on the house tops. When a public message is to 
be given to the village it is called out from one of the 
house tops, and the village mother will call out to her 
children working in a near by field. (Matt. 10:27.) 

In the villages the house tops are reached by outside 
stairs. In fact, there are no stairways within the houses, 
unless those built by Europeans. In time of hasty flight 
it would have occasioned great delay to have come down 
and entered the house. (Matt. 24:17-18.) Those in the 
fields were not to return for their cloak (abeyah) a very 
burdensome and unnecessary article for one in a hurry. 

Candles are used instead of lamps. Many candle 
holders found in ancient tombs are much like those in use 
to-day. There is a special corner or place for the candle 
so that all in the house can see it. (Matt, 5:15.) 




(137) 



The Guest Chamber 



CHAPTEE XVI. 

FURNISHINGS— A MEAL WITH A FELLAH— MEALS OF THE 
DAY— PASSOVER FEAST. 

Where is the guest chamber, where I shall eat the pass- 
over? Luke 22:11. 

In every town and village of Palestine there is what is 
called a "guest chamber." This is a room provided es- 
pecially for the use of strangers, either native or foreign. 

It is owned by the entire village, but kept by one man 
who sees that passing travelers are provided with food 
or whatever is necessary. The expense is borne by the 
people of the village. 

A couple of Americans traveling from Nablus (ancient 
Shechem) to Jerusalem, when near to Bethel alighted 
from their horses in order to rest for a little time under 
the shade of a tree and eat their lunch. The keeper of the 
guest chamber at Bethel (a Moslem,) saw them and went 
out and invited them in, gave them refreshment and 
spread a bed on the floor that they might sleep. 

The guest chamber is usually built on the top of the 
house or the second story, if there be one. How long this 
custom has been observed is hard to say ; evidently it was 
in use when Elisha the prophet lived, for the Shunamite 
woman provided such a place for "the man of God," 
and furnished it. (2 Kings 4 :9-10.) 

A chamber thus furnished with a bed, a stool and a 

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The Guest Chamber 



table is quite different to ours. The bed is nothing more 
than a heavy, thick quilt, which is folded up during the 
day. The stool is a sort of cushion about four inches 
thick and oblong in shape. The table, if there be one, is 
about five or six inches high. The food is placed on it in 
one or two dishes, according to the wealth of the family ; 
more often they sit on the floor, the whole family eating 
with their fingers from the same dish. 

One custom rather embarrassing and awkward for for- 
eigners is that of insisting on every caller eating ere de- 
parting. 

A young lady missionary told me of a visit she made 
to a very poor woman who lived in Bethany. It was just 
meal time and the woman insisted on her remaining to 
dine with her. Not wishing to hurt the poor woman's 
feelings she consented. The dinner consisted of boiled 
wheat, onions and tomatoes, seasoned with semne,— na- 
tive butter boiled. Before she was asked to eat she had 
seen a big, black sheep eating from the same dish, the 
chickens having had their share a little before. 

Our Lord, as He went from place to place, was no doubt 
entertained in the guest chambers, or by those who had 
learned to know and love Him. When He sent out the 
twelve and the seventy He told them, "Go not from house 
to house" and to carry no provisions with them. (Luke 
10:7. Mark 6:8.) 

"When anyone is sent on a mission, either private or 
public, it is customary to make their business known be- 
fore bread is eaten, just as the servant of Abraham did 
when he went to find a wife for Isaac : "I will not eat until 
I have told mine errand." (Gen. 24:33.) So the seventy, 

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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



as they went two by two throughout the villages, would 
proclaim the message given to them by our Lord ; if their 
message was received they would be entertained by the 
village in the guest chamber, if not, they would be com- 
pelled to go on to the next village. The refusal of the 




CHAMBER OF THE EAST SUPPER 



guest chamber is a sign that the village rejects them. 
Probably the rejection by the village of the Samaritans 
was in this way. "And they did not receive him be- 
cause his face was as though he were going to Jerusalem." 
(Luke 9:53.) 

Perhaps the keeper of the guest chamber in Jerusalem 
had frequently entertained our Savior there and so with 
assurance He could send His disciples to the "goodman 

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The Guest Chamber 

of the house' ' and ask for the guest chamber in order to 
eat the Passover. 

The guest chamber in which the last supper took place 
is now to be seen on Mount Zion. The building is prob- 
ably a new one, as Jerusalem has been destroyed many 
times and many of the present buildings and streets are 
built upon the ruins of former generations. Until re- 
cently Christians and travelers were not allowed to visit 
it, as it is part of a building over the supposed tomb of 
King David, owned and zealously guarded by the Mos- 
lems. 

The principal meal of the day is in the evening, 
about sunset. There are only two meals in the day,— 
dpuarov and Se lcovov. apia-rov meaning the first 
meal, and taken about ten o 'clock, is usually the remains 
of the previous evening meal. There is nothing prepared 
for breakfast, except in the city where a cup of coffee and 
a small piece of bread may be taken. The evening meal 
corresponds to our dinner. At the evening meal it was 
customary to drink wine and is so to-day among Chris- 
tians and Jews, but Moslems never drink wine or intox- 
icating liquors. 

At the Passover, to-day, the supper consists of two 
courses. Before anything is eaten the head of the house 
pours a glassful of water and wine alternately into a 
basin, which typifies God's wrath mingled with mercy. 
Then bitter herbs dipped in a brown sauce are eaten with 
unleavened bread, to remind them of the bitterness and 
their hard labor in Egypt. 

The last course is unleavened bread made from the first 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



new wheat of the year on which no Gentile has laid his 
hand. This bread is also eaten with bitter herbs dipped 
in sauce. The host always prepares the bit of bread for 
his guests. He breaks the bread and dips it in the sauce 
and hands it to his guest. At present no lamb is killed 
because they have no temple. On the day of atonement 
they kill a white chicken. During the supper appropriate 
portions of the scriptures are read or repeated in unison. 
In ancient times they sang a psalm and gave thanks at the 
close of the meal. 

The Passover feast is not observed in the same way 
by all Jews. Some observe it as a feast, instead of a fast, 
as do many Christians at Easter. They kill a lamb to 
commemorate the death and sacrifice of "the Lamb of 
God, who taketh away the sin of the world. ' ' ( Jno. 1 :29.) 

Among Moslems, at a feast, the host breaks the bread 
and dips it in the gravy or sauce. This is called "the 
sop" and is a mark of special honor to his guest. 




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VERY OLD OLIVE TREE IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE 



Garden of Gethsemane 



CHAPTEE XVII. 

FURNISHINGS — A MEAL WITH A FELLAHEEN— MEALS OF 
THE DAY— PASSOVER FEAST. 

And they came to a place which was named G-eth- 
semane. Mark. 14:32. 

The Garden of Gethsemane is situated at the foot of the 
Mount of Olives on the road to Bethany and Jericho and 
just opposite the Golden Gate. This is the spot which tra- 
dition points out as the place of our Lord's betrayal. 

At present there are only three of the very old olive 
trees remaining. The garden is beautifully and tastefully 
kept by the Franciscan monks of the Latin church. Flow- 
ers to suit every season are to be seen there and it is one 
of the most beautiful spots in and around Jerusalem. 

On "Holy Thursday" evening it is customary for the 
Christians to hold a short song service in the garden. One 
night I heard some members of the choir from the 
American colony sing, 

" 'Tis midnight, and on Olive's brow, 

'The star is dimmed that lately shone; 
'Tis midnight in the garden now, 
The suffering Savior prays alone. ' ' 

This and other appropriate hymns were sung, making 
a very deep impression on all who heard. Everything 
was very quiet, the bright moon shining from a clear, blue 
sky. One could not help thinking that Christ, not creed, 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

should be our first and only ideal, and that He would 
eventually triumph and win all those for whom He 
wrestled in that place. 

The valley of Jehoshaphat lies between the Garden and 
the Golden Gate. During the days of our Savior a high 
bridge is supposed to have crossed this valley, otherwise 
it would have been impossible to have reached this gate 



I 






2 




















mm 4" 







VALLEY OF JEHOSAPHAT 



by a foot path. Some who have made a study of the Tem- 
ple Area say that such a bridge was built across the val- 
ley. It is on the side of the valley near the Golden Gate, 
where the stoning of Stephen is said to have taken place. 

In this valley, south of the Garden of Gethsemane, are 
the tombs of Absalom, St. James and Zecharia just oppo- 
site the southeastern corner of the Temple grounds. 



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Garden of Gethsemane 

Lower down is the village of Siloam, the home of the 
lepers. 

The Mount of Olives is directly opposite the Temple 
grounds and overlooking Jerusalem. The high tower on 
the top is the property of the Russians (No. 2). Near it 
is a Greek church, said to be built on the spot from which 
our Lord ascended into Heaven. From the tower a very 
fine view of the surrounding country is obtained. A little 
to the right is a large convent belonging to the Latin 
church, (No. 3) on the extreme right is the "Hill of 
Offense," (No. 4) where Solomon built a place of worship 
for his idolatrous wives. A Greek convent called " Gali- 
lee,' ' (No. 1) built by the learned late Bishop of Jordan, 
is situated on the left of the first road up to the moun- 
tain. Only one small building of it is seen. A short dis- 
tance north of Galilee the German Catholics are building 
a beautiful hospice, which commands a fine view of the 
Jordan valley and Dead Sea. 

It was by one of these roads the Savior and His 
apostles ascended the hill when He foretold them of the 
destruction of Jerusalem and the signs of His second 
coming. The Garden of Gethsemane is seen on the road to 
Bethlehem, (No. 6) and the tomb of the Virgin to the left. 
(No. 7) The Eussian church (No. 5) is between the 
Latin Convent and the Garden of Gethsemane. 



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The Lost Coin 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE LOST COIN — DRESS OF FELLAHEEN WOMEN — JEWELRY. 

The women here, more especially the fellaheen, dress 
very differently than Europeans or Americans. Many of 
the costumes and styles of the early inhabitants of the 
land seem to be still retained. 

In Jerusalem the native women and Moslems wear an 
outer black or white covering. The Christians wear white 
and the Moslems black, although many Moslem women 
are now beginning to wear colors. 

The village women do not wear the "melayah," as it 
is called, or a veil. The dress of the peasant women is a 
loose, blue gown, girdled at the waist, and a sort of shawl 
over the head. Many villages have a distinct dress of 
their own, those of special interest being Bethlehem, 
Kamallah and Nazareth. 

Another interesting feature is the ornaments worn by 
the country women, silver and gold chains attached to the 
head dress and from four to six solid silver bracelets. 
Among the Bedouins the women wear coins hung on the 
nose, lips and ears. They also wear bracelets on their 
ankles as well as on their arms. The prophet Isaiah de- 
scribes very clearly the people in many parts of Palestine 
to-day. (Isa. 3:18-21.) 

Often all their wealth is worn on their head dress or 
a chain around their neck. The gold coins are hung on a 



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The Lost Coin 



chain, the silver and brass are fastened to the head dress, 
which is fastened to the head by strips of ribbon sewed on 
the bonnet and braided in with the hair, consequently this 
covering is seldom removed. 

Sometimes these are of great weight and those not 
accustomed to them cannot wear them for any length of 




SILVER AND GOLD COINS 



time. On the other hand, those who are in the habit, can- 
not sleep without them and if left off a severe headache 
is- the result. 

These coins are often inherited from the mother, the 
husband has no right to them and cannot claim the 
smallest piece. The woman regards them as a very pre- 
cious heirloom and only a very wicked husband would 

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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



think of taking one. On no account are they allowed to 
dispose of a coin. Should a woman be so unfortunate as 
to lose one it is considered a very serious loss and a dili- 
gent search would be made for it. 

The houses of the fellaheen are generally very dark 
and in order to find a piece of money it would be neces- 
sary to light a candle and sweep the room, just as the 
woman did in the parable of the lost coin. (Luke 15:8.) 

The coins of to-day, although modern, are similar in 
many respects to those of 2,000 years ago. The "widow's 
mite" was a small, brass coin of very little value. 

This custom of wearing coins on the head dress does 
not prevail among all Moslem women. Many of them 
possess a chest in which their treasures are hidden. The 
lock is so arranged that when touched it will make a ring- 
ing sound. It is locked with a large key which hangs on 
the owner's neck night and day. Every piaster, (five 
cents) she earns is put in a secret place within the box. 
She keeps her husband in total ignorance of what she puts 
within, in order to not lead him into temptation ; for she 
fears her husband most of all, because in case of need he 
might break the lock and afterwards deny having touched 
it. 




(152) 



The Good Shepherd 



CHAPTEB XIX. 

THE GOOD SHEPHERD — PASTORAL LIFE — KINDS OF SHEEP— 
CALLING THE SHEEP BY NAME— ROBBERS AND WOLVES — 
SLINGS— WEAPONS— SHEEP FOLD. 

The good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. John 
10:11. 

The gospel narrative of the shepherd and his sheep is 
an exact parallelism of the shepherd and his sheep in Pal- 
estine to-day. As herding is one of the chief occupations 
of the land, past and present, those who listened to our 
Savior's words understood His meaning very clearly 
when He represented Himself as "the good shepherd." 
Those who have seen the pastoral life here and have 
watched the shepherds caring for the sheep can better un- 
derstand the simplicity of our Lord's teaching. 

Palestine has always been a place for herding cattle 
and sheep from the days of Abraham until the present. 
' ' Thy servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers. 9 ' 
(Gen. 47:3.) During their sojourn in Egypt they fol- 
lowed the same occupation. 

Many of the fellaheen around J erusalem own their own 
flocks and care for them themselves, but beyond Jordan 
and in the plain of Ezdrelon there are large flocks of 
sheep and goats in charge, many times, of hired shepherds 
who wander from place to place in search of food and 
water. 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



The shepherds are usually young men and boys ; occa- 
sionally a girl will tend her father's flock, just as Eachael 
and the daughters of the priests of Midian tended their 
father's flocks. (Gen. 29:9, Ex. 2:16.) 

The sheep of Palestine are of two kinds, the broad 




SHEPHERD AND SHEEP 



tailed, (a tail weighs several pounds) and the common, 
horned, white. In the city very often a man will own but 
one sheep, which is watered and fed in his own house and 
by his own hand. ' ' What man shall there be of you that 
shall have one sheep and if this fall into a pit on the Sab- 
bath day will he not lay hold on it and lift it out 1 9 9 (Matt. 
12:11.) 

The sheep skin is used for coats and other articles of 
dress. The shepherds and others wear the skins in the 
winter instead of the loose abeyah, so that very often one 
sees here men literally in sheep's clothing. (Matt, 7:15.) 



(154) 



Shepherd and Sheep 

It is a very pleasant sight to see the shepherds leading 
the flocks to pasture and returning in the evening. The 
shepherds always go before and the sheep follow close be- 
hind-. They are very obedient, seldom straying far from 
the shepherd. If any lag behind, the shepherd calls to 
them and they quickly follow. 

The shepherds have a name for each sheep and each 
sheep knows its own name, and just as children in a fam- 
ily are given different names and answer to them when 
called, so do the sheep recognize their names and the 
voice of the shepherd when he calls to them. On one oc- 
casion some travelers who were visiting the Holy Land 
met a shepherd and his flock, and wishing to test the ac- 
curacy of this and see if the sheep really know their own 
names they stopped the shepherd and asked him to prove 
it to them. The shepherd called the sheep around him 
and then stepped aside. He asked the strangers to point 
out any sheep they choose and as each one was pointed 
out the shepherd gave a peculiar whistle and called the 
sheep by name, it immediately left the flock and went to 
his side. Being fully satisfied on that point the travelers 
tried to imitate the shepherd, but it was useless ; the sheep 
recognized the strange voice and fled. "A stranger will 
they not follow but will flee from him ; for they know not 
the voice of strangers.' ' (John 10:4.) 

Some sheep keep close to the shepherd and thus re- 
ceive choice portions and are not in danger, but many like 
to run about and choose for themselves, going into fields 
where they have no business, climbing leaning trees and 
high rocks, from which they often fall, breaking their 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

limbs, (these are usually the goats) and are a constant 
source of trouble and annoyance to the shepherd. 

Another source of trouble are the robbers and wolves. 
The shepherd who owns the flock is very careful of them, 
but the hirelings are very often careless and unfaithful, 
many times selling the little lambs and the milk and then 
telling the owners they were robbed. For this reason 
the owners must try to select good, faithful men whom 
they can trust. As one of His representatives our Lord 
commands Peter to "feed my lambs' ' and "tend my 
sheep.' ' (Jno. 21:15-16.) 

The true shepherds are brave and courageous and 
when there is any danger they defend the flock at the risk 
of their own lives. The staff, or crook, carried by the 
shepherds is used to guide the sheep over narrow and 
dangerous mountain ridges; the staff is to guide and the 
club to protect. No doubt this rod and staff was in 
David's mind when he says "thy rod and thy staff they 
comfort me." 

Slings are still used by the shepherds to drive off wild 
animals and to guide the flock. If a sheep or a goat strays 
to one side the shepherd throws a stone beside it or be- 
hind it and drives it along. A shepherd well accustomed 
to using the sling can hit any object and never miss it, 
so that David did not fear to face the giant with his sling 
in his hand, and with a small pebble he stunned the 
mighty Philistine. 

Shepherds who cannot obtain a gun or a pistol arm 
themselves with a strong club about three feet in length. 
One end is round and stuck full of heavy iron nails, and 



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Shepherd and Sheep 

it is not good for any wolf, bear or hyena should it feel the 
weight of this club on its head or back. It hangs from the 
leathern girdle by a loop on the handle. Thevenot says: 
"The Arabs fear a lion so little that they often pursue 
him with only a club." In the pasture lands east of the 
Jordan and near Mt. Tabor, the shepherds very often 
have desperate fights with wolves or robbers. Some- 
times the shepherd loses his life and the flock scatters im- 
mediately, just as our Lord says : "I will smite the shep- 
herd of the flock and the sheep will be scattered abroad. ' ' 
(Matt. 26:31.) Among the Bedouins of the desert many 
such experiences take place, so that the shepherds must 
be very careful and wise in the guidance of their flocks, 
and must have a good knowledge of the places where they 
are to lead them and not guide them directly into danger, 
otherwise the shepherd and his flock would both be de- 
stroyed. 

When it is necessary to take the sheep over some very 
dangerous mountain paths the shepherd leads the way 
and the sheep follow in single file, the shepherd walking 
along very slowly and eating his bread or playing on his 
flute. 

East of the Jordan the sheep owners pay a yearly sum 
to the Bedouin sheiks as a security that their herds will 
not be molested by thieves. 

Very often several flocks are sheltered in one fold dur- 
ing the night and for this reason it is necessary for each 
shepherd to know his own sheep so that when he wants 
to "put forth all his own" he calls them by name, and 
then leads them to the pasture fields. 



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The Gospel in 



Its Native Land 



In winter time the shepherds build small booths for the 
protection of their sheep from the cold rains, and some- 
times it is necessary to protect them in this way from the 
burning heat of the sun in the summertime. These booths 
are made of dry sticks, branches and grass. Often the 
shepherd sits in this tent and plays his flute while the 
sheep are feeding close by. Perhaps it was this kind of 
a tent which Peter wanted to make on the Mount of 
Transfiguration. ( Matt. 17 -A. ) 

When possible the sheep are sheltered in the caves of 
the rocks, of which there are a great many in Palestine. 
Sometimes these caverns are fixed up and made very safe 
with strong doors. At night when the shepherd returns 
from the pasture he opens the door and calls each sheep ; 
if none are missing he shuts the door and stays with his 
sheep, but if there is one missing he leaves the others and 
goes in search of the lost one until he finds it. 

Other folds are made by building a wall of stones in 
which there is also made a strong door. Very often a 
small house is built close to the sheep fold where the por- 
ter lives with his wife and family. This man watches 
the flock at night in the absence of the shepherd, or per- 
haps while the shepherd is away looking for his lost 
sheep. On his return the porter opens the door for him, 
but when a robber comes he does not ask the porter to 
open the door, but slyly and stealthily climbs over the 
wall. 

In a flock where there are sheep and goats, the shep- 
herd separates the sheep from the goats as they enter the 
fold, so that afterwards it will be easy to milk the sheep 
and the goats and separate the milk in vessels. 

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Shepherd and Sheep 



Round about Jerusalem the pasture is not very plenti- 
ful, the dry hillsides being covered with thorns and sliort 
grass; in Galilee, Perea and Sharon are found the best 
pasture fields. 

Sometimes the cattle are taken to graze with the sheep 
and it is interesting in the evening to watch them as they 
return to the villages, each one going directly to its own 
feeding place, generally in the yard of the owner 's house. 
(Isaiah 1:3.) Very often when the shepherd is returning 
with his flock he will have a couple of lambs in his arms, 
. or tucked up under his robe from the cold, literally in his 
bosom, where he carries his daily bread. At other times 
he will have a sheep, which is sick, or injured in some way 
so that it cannot walk, on his shoulder. 




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The Parable of the Sower 



CHAPTEE XX. 

THE PAKABLE OF THE SOWEE — PREPARATION OF SOIL — DESTROY- 
ING THE TARES — THRESHING FLOORS— THE "FAN*' — THE 
TAX COLLECTOR— THE MILLSTONE AND ITS USE — MEASURING 
THE WHEAT. 

Behold a sower went forth to sow. Matt. 13 :3. 

The cultivation of a field here is almost the same as in 
other parts of the world. Before the seed is sown, the 
ground must be plowed although in the case with wheat, 




BEHOLD A SOWER WENT FORTH TO SOW— MATT. 13:3 

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The Parable of the Sower 

oats and barley, the seed is generally sown and the ground 
plowed afterwards, because harrows are not used. The 
implements used may seem a little crude to the farmers 
of the western prairies, but the soil is quite different here 
and it is necessary to plow only a few inches deep. Many 




WHEAT FIEU>S AMONG ROCKS 



of the fields are full of very large rocks and a modern 
plow would be quite useless. 

Plowing and sowing begin in November and continue 
until January, or after the first rain, which does not come 
until the middle of October and quite often not until late 
in November. In March the fields are green and the grain 
in many places half grown. 

After the ground has been softened by a good rain the 
sower "goes forth to sow his seed." He does not burden 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



himself with anything in which to carry his seed ; he sim- 
ply puts it in a corner of his inner garment— the loose 
abeyah not being worn when at work. 




RUINS OF SAMARIA 



As a rule there are no fenced fields in Palestine, except 
the vineyards, which always have a low fence. As seen 
in many of the pictures, many of the fields are in the 
midst of rocky places. There are no regularly built roads 
or any road allowances, the roads, such as they are, very 
frequently passing right through a field of grain. The 



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The Parable of the Sower 



farmers are not careful about destroying the thorns 
which grow in their fields from year to year, consequently 
the grain in many places is choked by the thorns. As 
the sower, therefore, goes forth to sow his seed, some falls 
by the wayside, some in stony places and others on the 
thorny ground. Very often the cultivating does not cover 




PLOWING AND SOWING 



the grain sufficiently and the birds come and devour the 
seed. 

Many tares are found in the wheat fields which re- 
semble wheat so closely that it is very difficult to root 
them up while the wheat is still growing. When the 
wheat is in the ear then the tares are easily discerned and 
the fellah goes into his wheat field and pulls them up, 
binds them in bundles and burns them. 

The grain is not cut, as a rule, but is pulled up by roots ; 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



this is why so many small stones have to be separated 
from the wheat when it is winnowed. As the grain is 
pnlled np it is tied into sheaves and put in a large pile, or 
carried by donkeys to the threshing floor. "While the reap- 
ers are pulling or cutting the grain they are followed by 
poor women and children of the village who pick up all 




THRESHING FLOOR IX PALESTINE 
"Thou Shalt Not Muzzle the Ox That Treadeth Out the Corn" 



the fallen ears. If the owner is a generous man he gives 
them a little by letting it fall. In the plains of Sharon and 
Jezreel the fields are very large and the work of sowing 
and reaping is done by hired men, but the man who does 
the sowing does not help with the reaping; that is given 
to others, so that "one sows and another reaps." (John 
4:3.) 



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The Parable of the Sower 



Threshing floors which are outside the villages are 
made on a flat round rock. There all the grain must be 
gathered and left to dry in the sun. The owner sleeps be- 
side his grain to see that none of it is stolen. The thresh- 
ing floor is always chosen on a high, exposed spot, to catch 
the wind for winnowing. Oxen and cows are still used to 




WHOSE FAN IS IN HIS HAND THOROUGHLY TO CLEANSE HIS THRESHING 
FLOOR, AND TO GATHER THE WHEAT INTO HIS GARNER,— LUKE 3:17 



tread out the grain. The Mosaic law required that ' ' Thou 
shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn." 
(Deut. 25:4.) This seems to be observed, as a rule. 

The threshing implements are merely wooden sledges 
—thick boards fastened together. In the bottom of the 
planks are many rows of sharp stones wnich facilitate the 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

threshing and cut up the straw. The man who drives 
the oxen usually stands on these boards. A more ancient 
contrivance is used in some places, which is referred to in 
Amos, 1:3. 

After the straw is all crushed and broken and the grain 
separated from the husks, then the work of winnowing be- 
gins, which is not an easy task. Before this work can be 
done, the fellah must wait for a favorable breeze. A very 
strong wind would blow everything away, while a very 
light one is of little use, so he covers the grain and waits 
for the right time. The work is generally done in the 
morning and evening, or during the night, when a suitable 
breeze is more likely to be blowing. 

The "fan" which he uses is a broad, wooden fork. 
With this he tosses up the chaff and grain together, the 
wind carrying off the chaff to one side while the grain 
falls in a separate heap. After the grain has been sep- 
arated from the chaff it is put through a sieve which re- 
moves the small stones and heavier pieces of chaff not 
carried off by the wind. 

After all the work has been done, the poor fellah has 
to leave his grain on the threshing floor a little longer, so 
he covers it up with his abeyah, or some thorns, to pre- 
vent its being blown away, and waits for the tax collector. 
Before freedom was granted, the government exacted a 
tenth of the grain after it was cleaned. Often the col- 
lectors took just what they pleased, in this way providing 
for themselves. It was useless for the poor fellah to re- 
monstrate. No man in Palestine was so dreaded among 
the poor people as the tax collector. Now conditions are 



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The Parable of the Sower 



much brighter and the people are encouraged to culti- 
vate and till the soil for their own benefit. No doubt 
this land will return, in a large measure, to its former 
prosperity, until that day comes when they shall say, 




TWO WOMEN SHALL, BE GRINDING AT THE MILL; ONE IS TAKEN, 
AND ONE IS LEFT— MATT. 34:41 



' ' This land that was desolate is become like the garden of 
Eden." (Ezek. 36:35.) 

The wheat in this country is the main sustenance of life. 
Bread and meal are made from it. "Burgoil," which is 
wheat boiled and dried in the sun, is ground in the hand 
mill and used a great deal by the natives. In fact, it is a 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

very good breakfast food and is eaten by many Euro- 
peans. 

After the grain is threshed and cleaned the poor women 
of the villages are given baskets full of wheat and lentils. 
In this way they are provided for in the winter. 

In J erusalem and J affa there are flour mills, but every 




MEASURING WHEAT IN THE MARKETS OF JERUSALEM 

farmer grinds his own flour and "burgoil." The work of 
grinding is done by the women by means of a hand mill 
which is made of two round stones. The lower stone is 
very large and sets firmly on the ground, the upper one 
being fastened to it by a pivot. The hole around the 
pivot is large enough to admit the grain, which is put in 
with the left hand. The stick for turning the stone is put 



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The Parable of the Sower 

in on the outer edge. These millstones can be adjusted 
to make flour, "burgoil," or "smead," which is also 
made from the wheat and resembles our corn flour. No 
creditor was allowed to take a millstone in pledge. Some 
stones are very large and are turned by an ass. It is of 
great weight, and to this our Lord refers when he says 
' - It is profitable for him that a great mill stone should be 
hanged about his neck." (Matt. 18:6.) 

The women rise at two or three o'clock in the morn- 
ing to grind their wheat. Often two women grind to- 
gether and sing mournful songs. If they grind more 
wheat than is needed for the day, it is put away in a goat 
skin. This grinding and singing have so grown into their 
habits that none of the sleepers are disturbed, but should 
the grinding cease the brother or husband may be awak- 
ened by the stopping of the familiar sound. 

' 6 Give and it shall be given unto you good measure.' ' 
This way of measuring, referred to by our Lord, can be 
seen everyday in the markets of Jerusalem and on the 
threshing floors when the tax collectors measure the 
grain. The person who is selling the wheat fills the meas- 
ure and then presses it down; he fills it again and then 
shakes it together, then he heaps it up and makes a hole 
in the center and keeps putting on more grain until not 
one more seed will stay there. He then pours it into the 
sack of the buyer. 

As the fields are without fences it is very easy for a 
foot path to be made right across a field of wheat, and 
when anyone is passing through it is very natural to pluck 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

an ear of wheat, rub it in the hands and eat it. The law 
of Moses permits persons to help themselves in such 
cases and occasionally a fellah will gather many ears, 
make a fire and roast them, eat and then go on his way. 




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Vineyards and Fig Trees 

CHAPTER XXI. 

VINEYARDS AND FIG TREES — WINE PRESS — WINE — GRAPES OF 
ESIICOL— DAFOTJR. 

There was a certain householder, which planted a 
vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a wine 
press in it and built a tower, and let it out to husband- 
men. Matt. 21 :33. 

Vineyards in this country are very plentiful and are 
the only fields upon which much labor is bestowed. For 




GRAPE MARKET 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



the most part these are to be seen on the sides of the hills, 
where the ground is built in terraces, with a stone fence 
or hedge around them. Palestine is well suited for 
grapes on account of the many sunny hillsides, the bright, 
warm days, and the cool, moist nights. 




WINE PRESS 

The vineyards need to be fenced in order to keep the 
sheep and cattle from eating and treading them down. 
Fences are made of small stones without mortar. If the 
vineyard is some distance from the village the owner 
builds a " tower" (a small house) and the man who takes 

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Vineyards and Fig Trees 

care of the vineyard lives there while the grapes are rip- 
ening. (Luke 20:9.) 

When the grapes are ripe they are sold or made into 
wine or raisins. Often the wine press was made in the 
solid rock and as the grapes were pressed the wine ran 
into the vat. The wine was stored away in "skins" in 
some cool place. About two miles west of Jerusalem, near 
the "Tombs of the Kings" is an old wine press made in 
the solid rock, called the "King's Winepress." (Zach. 
14 :10.) Close beside it is an old, underground storehouse, 
which resembles an old well at present, where the skins of 
wine were put. 

To-day there are not so many winepresses to be found 
as in ancient times, because the fellaheen are mostly Mo- 
hammedans and the Koran forbids the making or the use 
of wine, so they sell their grapes in the cities. The wine 
which is used in this country is made by Jews, Germans 
and Christians, or imported from other lands. Wine is 
also shipped to Europe from here. 

Very few of the old wine presses are in use now as the 
Jews who are returning to the land are bringing back 
modern methods and the ancient way of doing things is 
rapidly becoming a thing of the past. 

The wine press differs from the olive press. In the 
wine press the grapes are trodden by the naked feet. 

There is a custom here of mixing spices and other in- 
gredients with wine, to give the wine a special flavor or 
to make it stronger. 

Another kind of wine is the common, sour wine used by 
the poor, and was given daily to the Eoman soldiers of 

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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

Christ's time, and no doubt given, in pity, to our Lord 
by the soldiers who stood by at the time of His crucifixion. 

As in ancient times, the grapes of Eshcol are still con- 
sidered superior to those grown in other places. The 




AND SEEING A FIG TREE AFAR OFF HAVING LEAVES, HE CAME, IF HAPLY 
HE MIGHT FIND ANYTHING THEREON 

grapes are gathered from August until October. Women 
and girls carry them to the winepress or the markets in 
large baskets on their heads. 

About the first of February they begin to prune and dig 



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Vineyards and Fig- Trees 



the vineyards. If the vineyard is large or if the owner 
has others, it is necessary for him to hire men to do the 
work. If a man is hired about noon, a full day's pay must 
be given him. The man who has the overseeing of the 
work feeds the men at noon, and at sunset they go home. 
When a fellah owns but a small piece of ground it is gen- 




BETHLEHEM'S GARDENS 



erally made into a vineyard where vines, figs and other 
fruit bearing trees are planted. The fig trees are con- 
sidered the best shade trees in the land and are found many 
times in the gardens or near the houses. The fellah sits 
under his fig tree for protection from the sun, while his 
wife cooks and washes beside him. Very frequently it is 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 

the Moslem's place of prayer. It was under one of these 
trees Nathanael was sitting when our Lord first saw him. 
"When thou wast under the fig tree I saw thee." (John 
1:48.) In villages where a highly respected Moslem has 
died, fig trees are planted around his tomb. 

The earliest figs are called "Dafour" i. e. "ripe before 
the time." About the middle of February the small 
leaves begin to appear on the fig tree, which is a sign that 
winter is over and summer is near. (Matt. 24:32, Luke 
21:30.) While the leaves are still small this small fruit 
grows and afterwards drops off. This fruit is eaten only 
by poor people and children in the villages. The good 
fruit does not ripen until May and again in August, so 
that a tree rich in foliage should have some fruit on it 
even if it is not the time of figs. This fruit ' ' ripe before 
the time" is the fruit Christ was seeking. The fig tree 
does not flourish in poor, stony ground, and when it does 
not bear fruit it is cut down so that taxes need not be 
paid on a fruitless tree. 

When anyone passes a vineyard or garden they are 
permitted to go in and eat all they desire, but are not al- 
lowed to carry any fruit away with them. This is an 
ancient Jewish custom from the time of Moses. (Deut. 
23 :24-28.) 



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Trees of Palestine 



CHAPTER XXII. 

TKEES OF PALESTINE— PALMS — SYCAMORE. 

The old testament speaks very often of the palm tree. 
Jericho was called the City of Palms. Very few are to be 

I I 

\ f % 





PAEM SUNDAY— CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE 

found in Palestine now except on the coast of the Medi- 
terranean, in Gaza, Jaffa, and other villages of the plain. 

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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



When our Lord entered Jerusalem on His return from 
the North, the people received Him as they would a king, 
spreading their garments and branches from the palm 




SYCAMORE TREE— JERICHO 



trees on the way. Special honor is shown to persons in 
this way. The loose, outer robe, or abeyah, is taken off 
and spread on the path over which the person so honored 
is to walk. The palm has been the symbol of triumphal 
rejoicing from earliest ages. For this reason the people 
used the palm branches when our Savior rode into Jeru- 
salem. Every spring "Palm Sunday" is celebrated by 
all the Eastern churches. All those who attend the 

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Trees of Palestine 



Church of the Holy Sepulchre carry branches of the palm 
tree. 

The sycamore, an evergreen tree, is still native to 
Palestine. It differs from the fig tree and the common 
sycamine, being very high, with wide spreading branches 
close to the ground, not difficult for boys and girls to climb, 
which they do very often to get its fruit, and a very con- 
venient tree for Zaccheus when he wished to see our Lord. 
Several crops of fruit grow on it every year , on short 
stems along the trunk and large branches, — not at the end 
of twigs, as in other fruit bearing trees. The fruit is said 
to be very insipid and is eaten only by the very poor peo- 
ple. European authors frequently confuse the sycamore 
and sycamine. The sycamine grows abundantly in Syria 
and Lebanon and some parts of Palestine. Its leaves are 
now used to feed silk worms, and in Syria, where the 
silkworms are cultivated, this tree is very useful for this 
purpose, in addition to the mulberry. 
Only a few are to be seen in Jerusalem and Jericho. 




(179) 



Flowers 



CHAPTER XXII. 

FLOWERS — GREAT ABUNDANCE — BEAUTY CONTRASTED WITH 
ROBES OF JEWISH KING. 

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. Matt. 
6:28. 

The flowers of this land are abundant and beautiful. 
About the first of February the hills and plains are cov- 
ered with blossoms of various colors, tints and shades. 
Many of them seem to grow almost from the rocks ; where- 
ever there is a crack a small plant shoots forth. They re- 
quire very little soil, on account of the richness of this 
latter. 

One of the most abundant and conspicuous of flowers is 
the anemone, a beautiful, rich red, single blossom. Around 
Jerusalem only the red variety is found, but farther north 
are purple and white. In the plains of Esdraelon and 
Galilee flowers grow in abundance. The poppy, which 
comes almost last in season of all the flowers, is similar to 
the anemone, only that it has a black center. The cycla- 
men, pheasant's eye and daisy are also common field flow- 
ers, which grow very profusely. 

The people of this land are very fond of gaily colored 
robes, especially among the Moslems and Jews. Black 
is never worn except as mourning. Every bright color is 
worn without any thought of harmony or combination of 
color. Being accustomed to seeing these gay dresses, the 
simplicity and beauty of this flower was very apparent in 
comparison to the gorgeous robe of a Jewish king. 

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Jerusalem 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

JERUSALEM — THE OLD AND NEW — HISTORY OF JERUSALEM — 
INHABITANTS — THE WALL— AMERICAN COLONY— JEWS — 
SCHOOLS— " HO, YE THIRSTY "— STREETS— "ATALS" — 
STYLES OF DRESS — MOSLEM FANATICISM. 

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem; 

They shall prosper that love thee. 
Peace be within thy walls, 

And prosperity within thy palaces. Psalm 
122:6-7. 

Jerusalem is built on the four hills of Zion, Acra, Mo- 
riah and Bezetha. The ancient city is within the walls 
and is divided into four parts,— Mohammedan, Jewish, 
Armenian, and Christian. Its walls have seven gates. 
The Golden Gate, which faces the Mount of Olives and 
opens into the temple area is always closed, because of a 
superstitious belief among the Mohammedans that 
when a Christian Emperor goes through the gate the city 
will be lost to them. When the German Emperor was 
here, on no account was he permitted to pass through 
that gate. 

Jerusalem within the walls is now surpassed by Je- 
rusalem without. The streets within are narrow, dirty 
and dark, and in many cases, veritable stairways. The 
most remarkable street is the Via Dolorosa, over which 
our Lord is supposed to have travelled on His way to 
Calvary. Outside, the streets are wider and cleaner. 

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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



Since the 6th century when Roman authority ceased to 
exert any power in the East, Jerusalem has been taken 
many times. In 614 the Persians took possession and 
held it for a few years when they were overcome by the 
Sarasens. In 1076 it was taken by the Turks. In 1898 
assigned to Egypt, In 1099 taken by the Crusaders, in 




GOLDEN GATE AND MO SEEM CEMETERY 



1187 by Saladin, in 1228 assigned to the Christians; in 
1243 by the Carizmians; in 1517 by the Ottoman's; in 
1832 again assigned to Egypt ; and in 1841 it again passed 
into the hands of Turkey. 

The inhabitants are now supposed to number about 
80,000, the majority being Jews. There are 7,000 Moslems 
and 13,000 Christians of various creeds and nationalities. 

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Jerusalem 



From the Jaffa gate the city extends north and west for 
over two miles. Forty years ago this was nothing but 
bare, dry fields, now there are many fine schools, hos- 




A STREET IN JERUSALEM 



pitals and modern dwellings. There are several Jewish 
colonies which have been built in the last few years by 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



Jews who have returned to the land. Every available 
building and spot of land is eagerly being bought by them. 
The buildings are similar to European and American 
houses and the streets are comparatively wide and clean, 
although there is still room for improvement. 




EXCAVATIONS FOR BUILDING NEAR NEW GATE SHOWING THE UNDER- 
GROUND AND UNDERHOUSEI CONDITIONS OF MUCH OF THE 
SPACE OCCUPIED BY JERUSALEM WITHIN THE WALES 



Within the walls, on Zion, stood the famous Fortress 
of David, a small portion of which remains to this day. 
Jerusalem has been destroyed many, many times since 
the time of David and the city to-day is built over the 



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Jerusalem 



ruins and rubbish of former generations. The original 
streets are from 30 to 100 feet below the present ones. 
Hitherto the government has not permitted archaeologists 
to do any systematical work, otherwise much light might 
be thrown upon the history and topography of the Jeru- 
salem of the past. In a few places where excavation has 
been permitted, they have found many precious and inter- 
esting articles. The manner in which building was done 
2,000 years ago does not seem to be much different from 
that of to-day. 

Many old places are pointed out to travelers visiting 
the city ; but these are only traditional, the only spots of 
absolute certainty being the Temple Area, David's Tower, 
and the Citadel of David on Mt. Zion. There are a few 
on which many agree, although none can say, beyond 
shadow of doubt,— such as the Church of the Holy Sep- 
ulchre which is supposed to be built on the tomb in which 
our Lord was buried. On many of the supposed sites 
modern buildings have been erected. 

Solomon's Quarries, from which he is supposed to have 
taken the stone for the building of the temple are still to 
be seen. They are under the city, near the Flower Gate. 
Whenever a company of Masons visit the city, they hold 
a 1 ' secret ' ' meeting there. I am sure they are not in the 
least afraid of being disturbed, nor is it necessary to lock 
any doors or use the password. The bats, the only in- 
habitants, fly to the dark corners and leave them alone 
in their glory. It is quite impossible for one to enter and 
find their way in or out without a lantern and guide. Very 
little remains of the original wall. Around the Temple 



(185) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 

Area and in a few other places portions are still to be 
seen, the present wall, for the most part, not being more 
than 200 years old. 

One J ewish colony with over 5000 Jews is within a mile 
of what is called "The King's Winepress." Zach. 14:10. 
foretells how the city is to build from the Tower of Han- 
anel, to the King's Winepress. The Tower of Hananel is 
supposed to be near the Jaffa Grate and already the city is 
pretty well built up between these two places. If the 
Jews continue to return to the land as rapidly as in the 
last ten years it will not be long before this prophecy is 
literally fulfilled, especially if constitutional freedom is 
granted and thoroly established. 

Jerusalem contains almost all the religions, sects and 
creeds of the world except idol worshipers. For this 
reason the city is full of churches, convents and schools 
of various denominations and creeds. It seems to be the 
aim of every nation to have representatives in Jerusalem. 
Several schools, churches and industrial institutions are 
supported by the London Jews ' Society of England. The 
Christian Missionary Society supports many schools in 
various towns and villages of Palestine. Bishop Gobat, 
the pioneer of the Christian Missionary Society, obtained 
the old citadel of David on which to build his school. Hun- 
dreds of boys have passed through this school going from 
there to the Presbyterian College at Beyrout, where a 
thousand young men and boys receive training in many 
branches of education. Bishop Blyth, of the Anglican 
church, has a school for boys and girls not far from the 
Damascus Gate. The only American representatives are 



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Jerusalem 



the Missionary Alliance, who have lately opened a school 
for boys and girls. Mrs. J. P. Newman, wife of the late 
Bishop Newman, purchased property a few years ago in- 
tending to open a kindergarten school, but so far her pur- 
poses have not materialized. There are altogether prob- 
ably over eighty schools in the city of Jerusalem, count- 
ing Moslem and Christian, so that so far as education is 
concerned, Jerusalem children do not lack in opportunity. 
The great trouble is the diversity of opinion and the lack 
of co-operation and love between the so called Christian 
denominations. 

The American Colony have a school for poor children 
who are unable to pay tuition at the other schools. This 
colony is a company of people who came here about 27 
years ago, not to preach, except by their lives, according 
to Matt. 5:16: "Let your light so shine before men that 
they may see your good works and glorify your Father 
in heaven." Twelve years ago they were joined by a 
number of Swedes and others, and at present number 
about 106. They have many industries which are very 
beneficial to the citizens of Jerusalem. 

One of the oldest established Christian churches in Je- 
rusalem is the Greek Orthodox church. It has a Patri- 
archate near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and a con- 
vent in which there are about 150 monks, bishops and 
priests. When Omer Chatab came to the land in the 
seventh century he found the brotherhood here and in pos- 
session of the historically sacred places. He permitted 
them to retain their convents and churches under their 
own control and granted them not only religious protec- 



(187) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 

tion, according to the principles contained in the Koran, 
but also political. Since that time the succeeding rulers of 
the land have verified the agreement then made and in 
turn have granted them protection. They have many- 
schools and charitable and industrial institutions. One of 
their libraries is considered the third best in the world as 
regards ancient documents and manuscripts. 

Next to the Greeks come the Latins. They have many 
very excellent schools and hospitals for the benefit of their 
people and any others who care to enter their schools. 

There are many orders of monks here, among which 
are the Dominican, Franciscan and Jesuits. Near the 
New Gate is a convent of Augustinian Fathers, with a 
seminary, museum, library, press and others work shops. 

The Franciscan monks have special care of the ' ' Gar- 
den of Gethsemane ' ' and keep it supplied with flowers to 
suit the seasons. There are also many convents for 
nuns where girls, Moslem and Christian, receive instruc- 
tion in music, painting and sewing, as well as the common 
branches of education. 

The Jews, like the Christians, are divided and sub- 
divided. The Jews are from various lands and usually 
speak many languages. Some of the largest schools in 
the City are owned by them. The Rothschild's School for 
Girls has an attendance of over 600, although more than 
1,000 would attend were there room. The principal of the 
school is a young Jewess from London. English is taught 
in all but the primary grades. There are several very 
good schools for boys, where many trades and professions 
are taught. 

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Jerusalem 



The Jews also have hospitals and homes for the care 
of the sick and aged, altho the hospital belonging to the 
London Jews' Society is crowded, perhaps because the 
class here are poor and pay is not required. This hospital 
is in charge of Dr. Wheeler and a staff of well trained 
nurses from England. 

Jerusalem can boast of several up to date hotels, that 




HO, YE THIRSTY 



is, so far as is possible in a city devoid of electric light and 
water works. At present there are no less than six post 
offices, French, German, Austrian, Italian, Russian and 
Turkish. A few banks, photographers, dentists, etc. The 
stores, altho numerous, are very small, some mere cor- 
ners, no bigger than a good sized dry goods box. 

A few of the ancient customs seem to have continued 



(189) 



The Gospel in Its Native Land 

unchanged from the days of Isaiah. One very striking 
one is the familiar cry frequently just outside the city 
gates,— the men who walk about calling out " Ya-chaneen" 
(Ho, ye thirsty!) Isaiah seems to have been familiar with 




A PORTER 



this custom when he called ' ' Ho, every one that thirsteth, 
come ye to the waters ; and he that hath no money, come 
ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without 
money and without price.' ' (Isa. 55:1.) 



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Jerusalem 



In the summer these men sell cool drinks, water, lemon- 
ade and cold tea. In the winter, hot tea and coffee. 
Because the streets are so narrow and uneven no ve- 




MOSIiEMS BEARING SACRED FLAGS TO THE GRAVE OF MOSES 

hides of any kind can be used. Consequently men must 
do the work for which usually express wagons or moving 
vans are used. But these "atals" as they are called, can 



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The Gospel in Its Native Land 



carry very heavy loads on their backs,— two ordinary 
trunks and a book case, full of books, is an easy load; 
indeed, a man will easily carry a piano on his back. At 
Moharam, the Moslem New Year, when people move into 
new houses, tbe work must all be done by these atals. 
When one sees these men walking slowly with their heavy 
burdens on their backs, the words of the gospel are quickly 
brought to mind: "For they bind heavy burdens and 
grievous to be borne and lay them on men's shoulders; 
but they themselves will not move them with one of their 
fingers." (Matt. 23:4). Christ used this as a fitting il- 
lustration of the spiritual burdens which the Pharisees 
had laid upon the people. 

Many peculiar and picturesque styles of dress are 
seen in Jerusalem, from Parisian gowns down to the 
dirty rags half covering the lazy beggars The native 
Christian women wear white coverings over their dresses 
and a veil when they go out. The Moslems usually wear 
black. 

In the winter many of the men wear European clothes 
and when the warm weather returns they also return 
to their former way of dressing in "skirts," as some of 
the travellers say, when they wish to distinguish between 
guides. The dress of the atal is a very ordinary one 
seen on the streets of Jerusalem. Often they are of very 
excellent silk, which at first seems rather strange to Eu- 
ropeans. In the spring of the year the Moslems have a 
celebration called "Nebi Mussa." This is the day on 
which they take their sacred flags and lay them on the 
grave of Moses, which they believe is on the western side 

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Jerusalem 



of the Dead Sea. As they pass along, the women and 
children kiss the flags and tie handerchiefs on the pole. 
No Christian who values his life would think of entering 
the Temple Area on this day. Last year it happened that 
a Jewish funeral passed down this street just before the 
procession took place and the people who lined each side 
of the road pelted the mourners with stones all the way. 
They were compelled to run as quickly as possible to 
avoid meeting the fate of Stephen. Moslem fanaticism is 
shown on that day more than on any other. 




THROUGH THE JAFFA GATE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN 



1 



NOW 11 I90S 



Nov 17 i jaud 



